


Love, Friendship and Family Ties

by Hydra_bitch_please01



Series: Felicity and Friends [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DCU, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant - until series 2 episode 14, Child Abandonment, Declarations Of Love, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Felicity is an independent woman, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Intimacy, Love Triangle, Minor Nyssa al Ghul/Sara Lance, Not Beta Read, Olicity Big Bang, Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon 2017, POV Female Character, Past Laurel Lance/Oliver Queen, Past Relationship(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sandra Hawke / Samantha Clayton, Sara Lance & Oliver Queen Friendship, Slow Build, Some Plot, Summer of Olicity, Survivor Guilt, nysara, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2018-12-30 06:25:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 87,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12102711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hydra_bitch_please01/pseuds/Hydra_bitch_please01
Summary: Slade Wilson hoped to take everything away from Oliver Queen, but he didn’t. Felicity and the rest of Team Arrow banded together; they refused to be broken. Their friendships kept them together and they will continue to do so, even when China White comes back to town to rain havoc down on everyone.This is an AU story of Team Arrow dealing with the aftermath of season two focusing on female friendships and family. Movie nights, dinners, vacations, missions and foundry baby talks in all their galore mixed in with some olicity drama and plot.Recent name change from: Love Looks Not With Thy Eye But With Thy Mind





	1. The Clock King

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place the day after the team took down the Clock King. Season 2 episode 14. It's a slight divergence from the show. Hope you enjoy!

 

**Foundry – 2am**

  
“Frack.”

Felicity flinched when a spark flew in her direction. Repairing the damage from the Clock King’s attack to her system had been more time consuming and frustrating than she thought. _It really did commit suicide,_ she thought to herself. She sighed loudly.

It’s been a long few days and not just because of the clock king. When she first noticed a change between Oliver and Sara’s body language she was surprised. When she actually saw them kiss, jealousy began to settle into her bones. It made her antsy and impatient while working. Considering that Felicity was failing at her night job like never before, she didn’t know how to feel. The second Sara walked in, even though Felicity and Oliver weren’t together, she’d been jealous. She tried to convince herself she wasn’t. This time, ignoring her feelings didn’t work.

She reflected back to her conversation in Queen Consolidated with Oliver after getting back from Russia. _Because of the life that I lead I just think it’s better to not be with someone I could really care about._

She remembered clearly the look of resignation in his eyes. The memory still made her stomach drop, the taste of acid returning to her mouth. It was bad enough he slept with Isabelle, but then he had to say that. In two minutes, she lost any and all hope she had built up in her head that maybe someday they could be an “us.” Sure, it was a pipe dream. One she rarely allowed herself to think about, but still. After that day, she realized he probably would never be who she needed him to be, so she decided being his friend and partner in crime were enough. That is until the bad ass and gorgeous Sara walked into their lives and stayed.

Felicity felt threatened from the beginning. Not in the I hate you for taking my man kind of way - she wasn't petty enough for that. It’s more. Sara could replace her on the team and as much as she liked hacking and staying on the side lines, more than once she had felt inferior because she was the only one who had never seen battle. She was the only one who couldn’t protect herself. In the end, she felt that compared to Sara and her experience in an assortment of areas, Felicity wasn’t good enough.

Felicity might have always felt threatened by Sara, but most likely not to the same degree had she not been overwhelmingly fearful of being abandoned because of her childhood. Wounds heal, but they always left a mark. Felicity was no different. The childhood scar that still haunted her today was the feeling of abandonment caused by when, at seven years old, her father left. Ever since, she had been terrified that no matter what, anyone who she became close to would leave her. It was often easier to run, then stay and watch them walk away, she often thought. Deep down, she wondered if her father leaving was her own fault. She never vocalized her fears though because she knew her mother would have been devastated – a small part of her also felt that maybe her mom would have blamed her as well.

Despite her fear of being abandoned and her resentment towards her father for leaving, she treasured the few memories of him she had, especially the time they built her first computer together. Losing her father at such a young age made her focus wholly on her hobbies: mainly computer sciences, taking things apart and putting them back together. It made her feel closer to him, so in a way her drive to be the greatest hacker was the result of her father’s abandonment. It’s a contradiction she despised, but was constantly aware of.

At the end of the day, she was the one who saved them all, took down the Clock King and even took a bullet for Sara. However, the thought and fear though still stung. She felt a bit better about her place on the team, but she was confused why Oliver would choose to be with Sara romantically after what he said earlier this year. _If what he told her a couple of months ago was true, does he not really care about Sara?_ she asked herself, as she fixed a few wires. _Or is it okay because she can take care of herself?_ She could fight well – like ninja assassin well, so maybe he wasn’t worried about her safety. _Is that why he refused to give me us a real shot?_ She stopped working for a minute to collect her thoughts.

She rubbed her eyes with her hands, resting her elbows on the desk. Her shoulder started to throb from hunching for so long. It had only been a couple of days after they took down the clock king, so her bullet wound was still healing. At least she could handle the pain now with only some Advil. She’d been working for four hours on fixing some broken computer parts. She desperately needed to get some sleep, so she could do it all over again tomorrow.

“Hey.”

Felicity paused and then looked towards the noise. She found Sara standing on the stairs looking at her. “I didn’t hear you come in… You really are a ninja,” Felicity said.

Sara smirked. “Sorry I interrupted you, but you should probably get some sleep. You look pretty tired.”

Felicity sighed. “Yea, that’s probably a good idea.” Sara looked just as tired though. I should give her some space to sleep, she thought. Sara walked over to her bag to grab some sweats out of it.

“Are you going to work out now? It’s 2 am.”

Sara looked at her with a contemplative gaze. “Yes, just a short one. I like to let off some steam before I try to sleep.”

Felicity nodded at that. Oliver would do the same sometimes. “You don’t sleep much, do you?”

Sara paused for a second while carefully considering her response, “No.”

Before thinking it through Felicity asked, “Is it a ninja thing?”

Sara lightly chuckled. She said, “No and yes. As an assassin, you are taught to always be aware of your surrounds, even in your sleep. But for me it’s more of a nightmare thing.”

It took a minute for Felicity to let that sink in. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.” She tried to backtrack but Sara looked content with the conversation.

“You didn’t pry.” She smiled and held up her sweats to show Felicity, “I’m gonna go get changed now. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes. I’ll be here. Night.” Felicity gathered her things and as she began walking up the stairs, she paused when she heard Sara speak.

“Hey, Felicity.”

She turned in confusion and curiosity, “Yea.”

“Do you want to go to lunch tomorrow?”

Felicity didn’t know what to say. Sara always seemed nice, if not a little patronizing sometimes, but she wanted to spend time with Felicity alone? It took her a second to adjust, but once she did, she smiled at Sara. “That sounds nice. Big Belly Burger?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, see you then.” With that Felicity ascended the staircase, the last sounds in the foundry were the echoes of her heels hitting the stairs and of Sara’s fists hitting a dummy.

On her way back to her apartment, fatigue hit her like a brick wall, but she couldn’t stop thinking about lunch tomorrow. Once she entered her apartment, she immediately grabbed some Advil before collapsing into her soft bed. “Ugh, I’ll take my makeup off in the morning.” She rolled over, cuddling into her pillows while mumbling to herself, “I really need to stop talking to myself.”  Within seconds she entered a warm and comforting world of slumber.

 

**The Next Day**

Like most days Felicity went to work in what she would consider an appropriate and cute outfit. She paired her favorite black pencil skirt with a polka dot silk blouse that showed a little cleavage. She also wore her favorite pair of heels, nude colored stilettos, that made her legs look amazing.

The past few days had been hectic, so paperwork had started to pile up. She had been sorting through memos and putting together notes to go over with Oliver all morning. He was booked solid in meetings until two this afternoon, so she’d been rushing to get everything done before her lunch with Sara. As she scanned her eyes over the computer screen she noticed the time. “Frack.” _It’s almost noon._

She quickly got up and walked into Oliver’s office. In her most professional tone she told him, “Oliver, you have a meeting in 10 minutes.”

He looked up at her, gave a curt nod and a sad smile. “Thanks.”

Felicity rolled her eyes. She knew he hated meetings, but they weren’t torturous. “It’s the last one of your day, Oliver. You’ll do _fine._ Just try to focus this time,” she said.

Oliver tightened his lips, nodding slightly.

At least he’s taking it seriously, she thought. As Felicity turned around to walk away, she realized something. “Oh… by the way, Sara and I are going out for lunch soon, so I probably won’t be back until after two.”

As she turned to look at him, his eyes widened. Her lips raised into a half smile because he looked very surprised by the news. He carefully and slowly said, “You two are going to lunch?” His shoulders tensed and he tried to sound casual, but she knew him well enough to know he was faking it.

“Yeah, is that okay?” Felicity wasn't sure what to make of his discomfort.

Oliver quickly recovered though and gave her a mostly genuine smile. “Of course, I hope you have a good time. Don’t rush back,” he said overtly casual.

“Okay. Thanks.” Felicity glanced at her watch. “You should get going. You only have 5 minutes now.”

Oliver quickly and gracefully stood up, buttoned his suit, walked up to Felicity and smiled at her. He then walked out of the office and into the elevator.  
Felicity watched him leave and sighed when he was out of ear shot. Frustrated, she mumbled to herself as she walked back to her desk to gather a few things. _“Why does everything have to look good on him.”_

Suddenly, she heard the elevator ding and Sara walked into the office. As always, she was wearing casual jeans, a t-shirt and leather jacket.  _Maybe I should get some leather,_ she thought to herself.

Before she could finish her thought though, Sara sauntered over smiling. “Hey, you ready to go?” she asked, happily.  
“Yea, just one minute.”

As she finished typing an email to a client, Sara looked around the office, “Is Ollie around?”

Felicity clicked send and said, “No, he’s in meetings all morning. He should be back once were done with lunch though.”

Felicity noticed that Sara appeared a little unsure of herself, which was odd. Sara always seemed confident, except when it came to her sister. Felicity grabbed her handbag and walked out of the office with Sara. During the trip to the diner the conversation seemed a bit awkward and forced. Once they sat down at a booth at the burger joint, they both seemed to settle in. Felicity ordered her usual and a chocolate shake and Sara did the same. As they waited for their food there was silence.

When they were in the foundry it was always easier. Usually they all talked about work or silly things. It was mostly professional, but sitting across from Sara for lunch felt weird. She went out to lunch with Dig all the time and sometimes Dig and Oliver, but with Sara, it was different.

It was time to break the silence, or at least that’s what Sara thought. “So how did you meet Oliver?” Sara asked.

Felicity honestly wasn’t expecting that question, which is silly since he’s their only common thread. She smiled at the memory. “He walked into my cubicle at QC with a bullet ridden laptop and asked if I could fix it.” She chuckled a little. “He told me he spilled coffee on it, which obviously wasn’t true. I helped him with it and then he kept coming back for my help.” She glanced off in thought. “It took a few months, but eventually I found out everything when he surprised me all suited up in my car, bleeding to death.”

Sara looked at her, smirking widely. “Wait, your telling me you found out about his secret when he was bleeding out?’’

Felicity winced a little at the memory of how sick he looked that night. “Yeah, and his mother was the one who shot him. He couldn’t make it out of QC on his own, so apparently he decided to trust me - and broke into my car to wait for me.”

Sara nodded along in thought. Clearly analyzing everything Felicity said. “Did you join the team then?” she asked curiously.

Felicity snorted a little by accident and Sara raised her eyebrows in response. “What?”

“I was always going to keep his secret, but um, I didn’t really approve of his methods.” She looked around to make sure no one could overhear them, it was second nature at this point. “I didn’t like the body count but when Oliver’s step-father, and my boss at the time, Walter, got kidnapped I signed on to help get him back. I was going to leave after that, but….” She paused for a second. “But then I got to know Oliver. I believe in the good he can do and I love John like a brother now, so…” Felicity shrugged.

Sara smiled. “I’m glad you three are a team. You seem to all work really well together.” She paused for a second, her mouth opens slightly as if she wanted to speak, but she hesitated before replying. “I’m glad Oliver has you both, he doesn’t usually lean on people.”

Felicity rolled her eyes and said, “I know, he can be a bit ridiculous.”

Sara laughed, but nodded. “Yea, but after what we both went through for so many years, it takes time to learn to trust people again,” she said.

“That makes sense.”

Felicity knew they had both been through a lot, even if she didn’t know the details. She didn’t need the details, honestly. He rarely talked about it, but the scars on his body spoke volumes about the kind of violence he had endured.

Sara swiftly changed topics, “So what makes Felicity Smoak tick?”

Felicity tilted her head a little to the side in response to the woman. She eventually said, “Well, I don’t know. I graduated from MIT with a Masters in computer science 5 years ago. Shortly after that I moved here and started working in QC’s tech department. I have some friends, but I mostly work. Either at QC or the foundry, I’m pretty busy for much of a social life, sadly.” She quickly added, “Not that I’m complaining. I love working at QC, even though I’m not thrilled with being a secretary, and it’s great spending my nights with him. In a totally platonic way, I mean...”

She noticed she was starting to veer off into rambling territory and if the amused look on Sara’s face was any proof, Felicity’s face was probably beet red by now. She counted 3, 2, 1 in her head and continued, hoping she didn’t just make things awkward. “I have some friends in Central City I’d like to visit more often, but I don’t really have the time. The last time I did, a crisis happened here and they really needed my help.”

“You should always try to make time for friends – they’re important. Believe me, being in solitude for so long in the league, it makes you realize how important spending time with the people you care about is.”

Felicity nodded, “Yea, it is. I should give Barry a call,” she said in agreement.

Sara lifted one eyebrow at her, teasingly. “Barry?”

Felicity shook her head knowing exactly where Sara’s mind was going. “No, it isn’t like that. He’s a friend, a good friend. I can talk to him about things I can’t with other people. Plus, he isn’t really available.” She looked off into the distance feeling wistful. “Maybe in a different life we could have worked, but not here,” Felicity added.

Sara nodded, a look of understanding crossed her face.

It’s probably time she should ask a question… But what? Sara is intimidating as heck.

Sara laughed loudly, which surprised Felicity. She looked up confused. “You think I’m intimidating?”

Of course, at that exact moment the waitress came over with their food. Felicity’s throat seized a little, unsure of what to say at her gaff. I can’t believe I said that out loud. As soon as the waitress had put the food on the table, she vaguely heard Sara saying “thank you” in the background, but her heart was pounding in her ears. Frack. I was trying to sound confident. She braved it and glanced at Sara, who was looking a little too amused for Felicity’s liking.

“You know, you might be surprised by this, but, Felicity, you can be intimidating too.”

Felicity was dumbfounded. What is she talking about?

Sara continued, “I mean not physically, but your computer skills are impressive. Most of the time you’re talking, I barely understand a word.” Sara shrugged. “I can fight and take down enemies, but you could crash a power grid or hack into the CIA. Both are important.”

Felicity was stunned. She honestly didn’t expect Sara to say that, but she was glad she did. She honestly needed to hear it after her screw up the other day with the clock king. She smiled at Sara, realizing they could really become friends and genuinely thanked her for the compliment. Sara seemed satisfied with her response, so they continued their banter while they ate.

She never expected to like Sara so much. She’s funny, smart and kind. By the time they finished their meal they had settled in and were acting like old friends. The awkwardness of their earlier encounters was long gone.

  
When they walked back up to Oliver’s office, Sara laughed.

Felicity looked at her, her eyebrows crinkled in confusion. “What?”

Sara shook her head and smiled. “No nothing. Just Ollie would hate me telling you old stories.”

Felicity smirked. “Oh god, yeah you’ve known him forever.”

“Yep.”

They walked into the office distracted and laughing, “You have to tell me a story later.”

Sara happily agreed.

“What story?”

They both stopped dead in their tracks and looked in the direction of the voice. A confused and slightly uncomfortable looking Oliver stood in his doorway watching them.

“Ollie, Hi.” Sara walked over and kissed him lightly on the lips. Felicity distracted herself for the moment by putting her bag down under her desk. “I was just telling Felicity about how many embarrassing stories of you I could tell her.” Oliver knew Sara was teasing him, it’s obvious to Felicity, but it probably wasn’t an empty threat. She guessed she was right since he winced at the though.

Oliver glanced between the two of them. “Did you have a nice lunch?” Felicity looked at him and couldn’t quite make out what he was thinking. His face was fixed in an emotionless expression.

Sara responded first. “Yea, it was fun,” she said. She lightly brushed Oliver’s arm and then looked at Felicity. “I should get going. I’ll see you later?”

Felicity smiled at her and said, “Yea, I’ll see you tonight.

Sara winked. “See ya both.”

As she sauntered casually over to the elevator, Oliver walked over to Felicity so he could see her face. “Did you really have a good time?”

Felicity smiled at him. Oliver was clearly uncomfortable with his girlfriend hanging out with her. Are they actually a couple, _couple_? “Yea, Sara is great. I had a lot of fun. She’s probably going to come to my place sometime this week to hang out. I mean as long as we aren’t working. It’s nothing definitive, but she’s cool. I can see why you love her.”

At that moment Felicity shut her mouth and blushed slightly averting her eyes away from him.

Oliver ignored it like he always did and Felicity said a silent “thank you god” in her head for it. He seemed happy, but conflicted. “Great. I’m glad you two are getting along.” He quickly changed the subject though. “Before you left, did you get a chance to go over the spreadsheets I gave you this morning?”

She thought she might have gotten whiplash from the subject change, but she went along with it. “Yea, let me find my notes on them.” She flipped through some files on her desk until she found them and handed them to him. “Let me know if you have any questions.”

He nodded and walked back to his desk.

She shook her head in confusion. Sometimes she had no clue what Oliver was thinking.

 

 


	2. Seeing Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I skipped a few episodes because I mainly want to deal with the fallout of the season. It takes place during Season 2 Episode 20.  
> Thanks! Enjoy! :-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fan fict story, so bare with me while I get the hang of everything!  
> All mistakes are my own - no beta.

 

**The Foundry - 3 pm**

 

The past few weeks were a whirlwind. Between finding out that Slade Wilson was still alive, Isabelle was actually evil incorporated, and an army of super soldier villains were somewhere in the city waiting to be unleashed on the citizens of Starling City, it was a lot. On top of everything else, Roy was roaming free while clearly out of his mind because of the super soldier drug. Not to mention the weird drama going on between Thea, Oliver and Moira.

Felicity had been punching away at her keyboard looking for Roy ever since he woke up and left. She was hoping to find him using her facial recognition software, but it was taking longer than she expected and she was becoming frustrated. When Sara came down to the foundry and told Felicity and Oliver where Sin had seen him not long ago, it made her search a lot easier. However, finding him was only the first part. Oliver and Sara were arguing loudly about how to handle Roy when they would find him.

She muttered to herself quietly, so no one could hear. “This is going to be a long day. I’m going to need lots of coffee.”

Like usual, Felicity wasn’t as quiet as she had assumed. Oliver heard her and the corner of his mouth shot up ever so slightly in a small smile at her comment, in the middle of his argument with Sara.

“Oliver, why the hell are you smiling right now!” Sara asked, her voice seething.

.... 

 

A little while later, Sara had left to find Roy and Felicity had gone out for a coffee run. Normally, he would have gone out with Sara to look for Roy, but Oliver had other things he had to do as a Queen family member.

Oliver was having a hard time processing the fact that his mother decided to drop out of the Mayoral race. With everything going on, it was lucky his head wasn’t spinning. He sat down on a stool in verdant for a minute to gather his thoughts, but mostly because his knee was in agony. He’d never admit it to anyone though. Eventually he decided he had to speak with his mother. They’d gone through a lot, but he needed to put his feelings aside and help her. He slowly walked up the stairs, grimacing as he reached every step. _Fucking knee_ , he thought to himself. Once he reached the top, he let out a deep breath and opened the door. He found his mother looking in a mirror, getting ready for the press conference.

“Oliver.” It sounded like a statement and a question wrapped up as one. As he carefully walked into the room she noticed his leg. “What happened?” she asked, concern evident from her expression.

He uncomfortably leaned against a cold steel table and came up with yet another bad lie. “Motorcycle accident,” he said. _I really need to think of better excuses_ , he reminded himself. _I used the same one last week._

Moira raised her eyebrows at her son. “Yes, this would be the second accident in as many weeks, if my math is correct.”

He needed to get the conversation back on track, “Mark says your dropping out of the race."

Moira looked at him with pose as always. “The truth is I should have dropped out weeks ago. After Thea was abducted... My complete focus needs to be on repairing our relationship.”

Oliver understood exactly how she felt, but it wasn’t the point or what was needed of her. With as much sincerity as he could muster he said, “Mom what’s happening with Thea isn’t because you aren’t spending enough _time_ with her.”

Moira turned in frustration to gazed out the window and down towards the camera set up. “Well, maybe not. But I have to do something and I’m not sure what else to do.”

“Thea hates you right now because of the things that you’ve done. Terrible things… So let her see you do something good as Mayor.” He watched his mother carefully, hoping he would see the fight come back to her eyes - the determination he always saw and admired as a child As much as his relationship with her was troubled, he hated seeing her defeated. Maybe it was his leg pain or just the emotional toll of the past few weeks, but he opened up to his mom. He looked away from her, emotion clouding his expression and took a deep breath. “Mom, I know a little something about sacrificing those closest to me for the good of this city.” He seemed to be getting through to her, which gave him a little relief. “It’s what you need to do now,” he said with determination.

Moira looked at him with wide eyes and an open expression. He didn’t know what to make of it, so he paused, waiting for her to say something. “I know.”

He smiled in relief thinking his job was done and got up to leave, but she repeated the same words.

“Oliver, I _know._ ”

He immediately stopped moving. His stomach dropped and he felt an icy chill go down his spine. _Shit_.

“I know… I’ve known since last year, I suppose.”

This wasn’t what he expected from this conversation. At all. He was in shock, but he turned to look at her expression.

“The night of the undertaking everything began to look so clear. It was pretty much the night I stopped sleeping.”

His throat tightened with emotion. He was terrified of what she might say next. “Before you say anything else –,” he started.

Before he could finish his thought, Moira walked up to him. She smiled, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She placed her hands on her son’s face and said, “There is nothing else to say. Nothing else I could say except I could not be _prouder_ to call you my son.”

Oliver wasn’t sure how he felt in this moment, except utter relief. No matter what, she would always be his mom. He loved her, so her acceptance and support meant more to him than he could ever express. Moira wasn’t always one of the warmest mothers in the world, but she immediately embraced him in her soft arms. He closed his eyes tightly and buried his head in her neck, her warmth and familiar scent comforting him.

She pulled back and glanced at him, her demeanor abruptly changing. Her voice was considerably graver when she added, “But, Oliver we do need to talk about something else.”

He decided to sit down when he noticed the change in the room. They still had a half hour before she had to make her statement to the press.

Moira took a deep breath, her voice steely and full of conviction. “I know we are not on the best of terms right now. Thea and you hate me because I have told you many lies. I have… I admit it, but I have always done it because I thought I was protecting you. However, I realize now that it was a mistake.” Oliver looked at her, unsure of where this was going, but he had a sinking feeling in his gut that this was bad. Really bad. “There is one more lie that you should know.” She locked eyes with her son and with her head held high she informed him, “Years ago when you were with Laurel, you told me about a girl you got pregnant.”

“Yea, Sandra. She miscarried,” he said monotone.

Moira swallowed and in an even and unattached voice told him, “No, she didn’t. She lied to you. I had a discussion with _this_ Sandra and we both agreed that the child would be better off being raised away from the Queen family – in another city.”

“Wait, what?” Oliver’s voice was raising a little too loud, but he didn’t care at the moment. He felt confused, hurt and angry as her words sunk in. His voice cracked with emotion when he asked her, “You told her to _lie_ to me?”

“Yes. I explained to her that you were not ready to be a father and I gave her a check to help support the child. I believe she moved to Central City.”

Oliver couldn't believe he was hearing her correctly. His stomach felt like lead and a shiver went down his spine. “She did. I ran into her in Central City a few months ago when I went to Central City with Felicity – we were visiting friends.” His voice was void of emotion as he continued, “You paid her off?”

Moira looked at him nervously, but answered. “Yes.” She continued on quickly, most likely, in case Oliver was about to get up and leave. “But I only did so because you said so yourself that you weren’t ready to be a father. I’m telling you now because of the man I know you’ve become… You deserve to know you have a child, Oliver. I understand if you continue to sever our relationship, but I could not live with myself, if I didn’t tell you.”

Oliver swallowed, his throat dry and scratchy. The walls felt like they were caving in on him. He nodded at his mother, turning away from her and walked downstairs and into the foundry, without another word. When he descended the stairs to the foundry, he figured he’d be alone, but Sara was there looking at her phone. He couldn’t talk about this with her right now. He was feeling overwhelmed and needed some space to process what he just learned, but Sara spotted him immediately.

“We’re still looking for Roy. I’m about to go out again and search a bit to see if I can get a lead…”

Oliver nodded.

“What’s wrong?” Sara asked, walking over to him gracefully.

He knew he looked upset, but he couldn’t fathom telling her, especially right now. “Nothing. I just had a talk with my mother about the Mayor race.”

“Oh.” Sara looked confused and slightly affronted by his tone, but Oliver didn’t care. He needed time.

“Why don’t you go ahead and look for some leads, I’ll stay here until I have to go back up for the press conference. Felicity should be back by then.”

Sara nodded in response and left, but he could tell she’d ask him about it later.

He settled in and let out a groan when he sat down, taking the pressure off of his knee. He closed his eyes to let the news wash over him. He still couldn’t believe his mother would really go that far, even after the undertaking. Looking back, he remembered being terrified of Samantha having the baby. He certainly wasn’t capable of being a father and he didn’t want to even think about the conversation he would’ve had with Laurel about it. He shook his head in shame. He treated Laurel horribly and when he was faced with having to deal with some repercussions for his horrid actions, he was angry. _The shit I did when I was younger,_ he thought, annoyed with himself.

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as he played back the conversation he had with Sandra months ago over and over in his head. She seemed startled to see him then and it bothered him at the time. He wasn’t sure why, except for the obvious guilt over the shameful situation he had put them both in years earlier. But maybe he subconsciously felt she was hiding something… _Does she think I don’t want to be a part of my child’s life?_ A feeling of nausea rolled through his stomach like a tidal wave at the thought of her thinking he would purposefully abandon a child. _My child_.

He suddenly could envision a child with his eyes. _Is it a boy or a girl,_ he asked himself. His mind settled on a girl, with black hair like Sandra's and piercing blue eyes like his own. She might have a gap in her teeth, since… _how old would she be? She was probably born in 2007, so she’d be 5 or 6 now._ _So no gap in her teeth then most likely, right_? He didn’t know much about children. What he did know came from his experiences with Thea growing up, who was born many years after Oliver.

The realization that he’d missed her toddler years hits him with an overwhelming sadness. He’d abandoned his child without even knowing it. The guilt and shame of the situation flowed through him at an alarming pace. His head and knee started throbbing with a ferocious pain that he didn’t know how to handle at the moment. He was frustrated beyond belief, so he slammed his hand down on the table next to him, which resulted in a loud bang that echoed throughout the large room. “I don’t have time for this,” he muttered under his breath.

“What is it, Oliver?” Felicity walked towards him holding a cup of coffee.

“Nothing,” he said roughly.

She looked at him like he had two heads and crinkled her eyebrows in thought.

“What?” He knew she had something to say, she always did, so she might as well say it.

“Are you okay?” She looked concerned.

He’d already had a serious conversation with Sara today, Roy was missing and now the stuff with Thea and his mother. It was too much. He tried to fake a smile, but she raised her eyebrows in reply. _Well, that didn’t work._

“Oliver, what’s wrong?” He could tell she wasn’t going to give up by the way she was looking at him.

He sighed and glanced at her with a forced neutral expression. “I’m okay. There’s just a lot going on.”

She nodded and sat down next to him taking a sit of her coffee. She reached for his hand, but he assumed she changed her mind because she placed it on his shoulder instead. “You know you can talk to me, right?” she said quietly.

He nodded slowly while looking into her eyes. His heart beat increased slightly being so close to her, but he quickly looked behind her to break the gaze. “My mom knows I’m the Arrow.”

Felicity looked shocked at the revelation, “Wow. How did _that_ go?”

He thought back to the moment and smiled a little, “She said she’s proud of me.”

“I’m glad she knows then.” She moved her head slightly so he’d look at her again. “I’m proud of you, too.” He searched her face for answers or lies, but only found her grinning widely.

His heart stopped for a second at the admission. After everything he had done, after hurting her with Isabella and fucking up everything countless times as the hood and otherwise, she was still proud of him. It fortified him a little but not enough. Not after the crushing blow that his mother just hit him with.

She sensed it, “What’s wrong then? I would think that’s a good thing?” She looked at him with confused and concerned eyes.

“My mom also told me something else, something about my past. Something that she lied to me about…” He wasn’t sure if he could vocalize more than that, so he stopped speaking.

“I’m sorry. We can talk about it later if you’re not ready now. Or, you know, you don’t have to talk to _me_ at all about it… I mean, you might want to talk to Sara. She is your girlfriend after all,” she added softly.

“Felicity.”

She realized she was rambling so she smiled a little and stopped speaking. “I’m here if you want to talk.”

He was immensely grateful for the out. He nodded once swiftly and thanked her. “I really need to get back upstairs.”

“Kay,” she agreed before going back to the computers to start her search again.

He groaned while standing up, gritting through the pain. As he walked away, she mumbled to herself thinking he couldn’t hear her.

“I know he's in pain, but damn I wish he groaned more often – _God,_ I need to stop talking to myself,” she reprimanded herself out loud. 

He smirked a little and walked up the stairs. 

 

..... 

 

Hours later, Roy was laying on a table in the foundry unconscious. They got him back with the un-asked for help of Thea, but it worked. Thankfully Oliver had made it upstairs in his arrow suit in time to knockout Roy before Sara put a bullet in his head, like she knew she was about to do.

While Felicity and Dig talked in the corner of the room about what food they wanted for dinner, Oliver and Sara were silent. Oliver was happy that they had Roy back safely, but Sara didn’t agree.

With a sad expression on her face, her arms crossed in front of her, she was leaning against one of the glass cases that housed their suits. “He’d be dead right now if you wouldn’t have stopped me. I would have killed him.”

“But he’s not, and that’s all that matters,” he told her, matter-of-factly.

She shook her head, her expression turning grim. _He doesn’t understand,_ she realized. “That’s not true, Ollie. I _wanted_ to kill Roy because that’s what I do. That’s _who_ I am.” Her voice cracked a little at the end. “I spent 6 years in the darkness and I looked into the eyes of the Devil. And I gave him my _soul_.”

Oliver smiled at her a little. “Well, let me help you get it back.”

Her stomach dropped at the expression on his face. He was a good man. He always wanted to help people and no matter how much pain he had experienced, that was always his first reaction. She shook her head in disagreement, knowing what she needed to do. “No, you deserve someone better. Someone who can harness that _light_ that’s still inside of you, but I’m not that person and… I _never_ will be.”

She could see it in his eyes. She had hurt him and it crushed her, but in the long run she was doing what’s best for him. He needed someone to help him be better, not bring him back down.

He looked at her pleadingly, “Sara, don’t.” He closed his eyes and swallowed.

 _He just needs a minute to process_ , she thought to herself. When he glanced at her again, she continued. “We’ve never been good at sharing our emotions, but you _need_ someone who you can talk to…” She swallowed, her emotions were getting the best of her. Staring at him with a sadness etched in every line on her face, she said, “I’m not the girl you _really_ want to talk to Ollie.” She glanced over at Felicity and then back at him, tilting her head slightly as she watched his expression change. “I heard you two talking before down here. I didn’t mean to overhear, but you _wanted_ to talk to her about your mom. I could hear it in your voice when you told her… And you _avoided_ me.”

Defensively, Oliver said, “Felicity and I are friends. That’s it.”

Sara half smirked at him, it was a weird mix of sadness and disbelief written all over her face. _He’s in denial_ , she realized. “I don’t think you really feel that way, Ollie. I’ve noticed something between you two for a while, but this isn’t about her. It’s about _me_.”

She turned around to walk away, but before she made it three steps she turned her head around to look at him once more. She was overcome with sadness, the life she wanted – the person she wanted to be – seemed so far away now.

“I’m sorry, Ollie. I _really_ am… I just care about you too much to be with you.” And with that she turned around and walked out of the Foundry for what she believed to be the last time.

 


	3. Unthinkable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is set during the season 2 finale, Unthinkable, but the night before they go to Lian Yu to drop off Slade at the prison. It's supposed to take place right after the final battle, but I kind of fudged the time, so I could actually do the plot I wanted. I imagine the battle didn't end before 10 pm lol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll start updating weekly, but I thought I would add another chapter while I had the time.

**Verdant – 10 pm**

Roy left for his place immediately after the final battle, so it was just Felicity, Lyla, Nyssa, Sara and Oliver in the foundry. He didn’t know how to be around Sara yet, so he decided to go upstairs. As Oliver walked into the club he found Dig sitting on the stairs looking contemplatively at the wall, his eyes crumpled in concern. He figured he should leave him alone to think, but after everything, he couldn’t walk away just yet. Oliver slowly walked up to John and sat down next to him on the stairs.

“Hey, are you okay?”

John half-heartedly smiled at him, “Shouldn’t I be asking _you_ that?”

Oliver shook his head a little in response. “I’ll be okay, eventually. Right now, I’m asking about you.”

Diggle looked him over for a second, Oliver’s guessing he was trying to decide whether he’s capable of hearing his concerns at the moment. “It’s not an immediate issue, we can talk later.”

Oliver felt a little relieved, but also concerned. _What can’t he tell me?_ It felt important. He let out a deep breath, nodded and in the process of standing up with his bum knee, Dig blurted out,“Lyla’s pregnant.”

Oliver froze, holding his breath as he stood still. _Fuck._  In the same moment, he was thrilled for John, he also remembered what he had been pushing down since his mother died. _I have a child._ He shook his head and put it aside for now, so he could focus on his best friend. “John, that’s amazing. Congratulations.” They both immediately went in for a hug, which was handy because it allowed Oliver to hide his face. As they pulled apart he asked, “When did you find out?”

John shook his head and let out a small chuckle, “When Lyla and I were holding Waller at gunpoint.”

Oliver smiled. “Great story to tell your kid one day.” They laughed. Their lives were absurd, but neither of them would have it any other way. “If Lyla and you need anything, just let me know. You’re my brother.” He clapped john on the back. “This really is great news.”

John muttered a soft and shaky, “Thanks, man.”

“Go get Lyla and get out of here! Go celebrate,” he said, smiling at his friend happily.

John nodded and walked back into the foundry to find Lyla, leaving Oliver alone in the club. He settled his arms on the stairs, leaning back against the cold metal. It brought him back to reality. He let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, fatigue hitting him. He mumbled quietly to himself, “I really need some time alone.”

 

**Foundry – 10 pm**

Felicity was sitting in her desk chair. In the debris, she found a working laptop and decided to triple check the surveillance cameras again – just to make sure they got everyone in Slade’s army. She knew she was being a bit ridiculous, but it was keeping her calm after the hell they all just went through.

She looked around to see Lyla on the phone with some A.R.G.U.S. agent, probably Waller, since the person on the other line sounded pissed. Sara and Nyssa were off in a corner talking and laughing. It was odd seeing Nyssa in full assassin gear hanging out in the foundry casually. She wouldn’t have normally like her coming here, but she did help them and that deserved at least a little trust, especially since she seemed to make Sara happy. She looked around to search for Oliver but he was nowhere to be found. “hmm.” Neither was Dig.

“Hey Felicity, come here!”

She turned around to see a smiling and happy Sara looking at her. She couldn’t help but smile back at her friend. She nodded and rushed over to the two women. “What’s up?” she asked.

“I just wanted you to officially meet Nyssa…” She paused for a second, clearly in thought and then said, “We’re back together.”

“Oh.” Felicity didn’t know she was bi and was a little shocked to hear her girlfriend was the daughter of the demon. _Like Holy frack – very ninja-y._ With a small smile Nyssa reached out to her for a formal handshake. Felicity is more of a hug person, so she hesitated for a moment.

Sara sounded exasperated when she said, “Oh Nyssa just hug her, she’s a good friend.”

She looked uncomfortable by the concept, but reached out for a very awkward and tense hug that Felicity reciprocated. Felicity desperately wanted to laugh, but she didn’t want to insult the woman and get stabbed, so for once she kept her mouth shut. When they released each other from the hug Nyssa immediately relaxed, well as much as she could probably ever relax.

With a slight nod of her head Nyssa graciously greeted her, “It’s nice to meet you, Felicity.”

Felicity didn't know what Sara saw in Nyssa, but she seemed sincere which was all Felicity needed from her friends’ girlfriend. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

Sara seemed pleased. With a slight smirk and raised eyebrows she looked at Felicity, “Do you want to join us for some food? Nyssa’s never had a black and white milkshake. Big Belly Burger will be open for a while.”

Felicity was starving. “Sure, let me just go get changed. I feel gross in these clothes.”

Nyssa looked her up and down. She appeared unimpressed as she asked in disgust, “Is that your armor?”

Felicity huffed a little. “No, they don’t let me fight, which by now seems silly since I’ve been kidnapped _multiple_ times in under two years. I should know how to defend myself at least,” she rambled. “I mostly stay in the van or in here on the coms.”

Nyssa looked unsatisfied at her answer. “No woman should suffer at the hands of men. They should teach you self-defense,” she added with conviction.

Sara piped in, “It’s probably a good idea. Even if you rarely go in the field, you should learn some weapons training and basic self-defense.”

“Dig has helped a little, but he’s been busy with Lyla a lot lately. I’ve asked Oliver and he refused – practically growled at me actually - Take it up with him yourself,” she said, unsatisfied with the truth.

Sara had a confusing look on her face, which Felicity couldn’t quite place, “I’ll talk to him before I leave.”

“Oh, _no_. _No_ , you don’t have to for me. It’s okay - I mean I can fight my own battles. You don’t have to talk to him, if you don’t want to.” She stopped talking once she noticed the familiar smirk on Sara’s face that told her she was babbling. “Why don’t we take my car? I’ll be back in a minute and then we can go.”

As Felicity walked away to go change she heard Sara tell Nyssa kindly, “Babe, you can’t wear that in _public_.” She walked away a little faster as she stifled a laugh with her arm.

***

Dig and Lyla left shortly after Oliver’s conversation with him. He was relieved to say the least. He needed some sleep and the only place he had was the cot downstairs. He realized he still hadn’t changed out of his arrow suit, so he got up slowly and walked down to the foundry to change. When he reached the bottom step, what he saw startled him slightly.

Sara was back in her usual jeans and a t-shirt and Nyssa was in similar attire. _The daughter of the demon almost looks normal_ , he thought to himself, amazed at the ludicrousness of it all. Sara’s face lit up when she was looking at Nyssa as they talked and laughed quietly. He could tell she looked happy and he was happy _for_ her if she really was happy, but at the same time the sight tugged at him a little.

It wasn’t that long ago that he wanted to move in with Sara – even if that was just a pipe dream. One that resulted from his continued denial of his feelings for Felicity, his fear of messing up his friendship with her and his belief that he could only be with someone who could fight incredibly well – well enough to protect herself. Yet, the breakup was still too fresh for him.

He couldn’t ignore them forever though and as if she could read his mind she looked over at him.

“Hey, Ollie,” she said.

He took that as his opportunity to walk over. “Hi.” He nodded at both of them, unsure of how to interact.

Sara took the lead thankfully, she usually did. “Felicity, Nyssa and I are going to grab some food, do you want to come?” she asked politely.

His first instinct was to say no. It would probably be a good idea to spend some time with Nyssa - even if she was a member of the league - and maybe he could learn to trust her. However, thinking that Felicity was going too - it’s just too much. Anyway, he desperately needed some time alone to think, process, and sleep. “No, I’m okay. I need to rest.”

Sara half smiled at him and nodded. “Well, Felicity should be ready any second, so I’ll talk to you later.” She looked at him with expectant eyes, non-verbally telling him to expect a visit from her again soon.

“Nice to meet you Nyssa." Nodding at his ex-girlfriend, he added, "I’ll talk to you later, Sara.”

Sara grasps his shoulder lightly, “Get some sleep, Ollie.”

At that Felicity walked out in jeans and a tank top – she was dressed more casually than Oliver had ever seen her.

“I didn’t realize you own Jeans,” he deadpanned.

She looked up at him with a smirk, “Did Oliver Queen just make a joke?” she asked, teasingly. He shrugged.

She looked at the others, “Let’s go. My stomach is _growling_.” Sara laughed and grabbed Nyssa’s hand, pulling her girlfriend with her. The three women walked out of the room chatting up a storm.

Oliver stood there for several minutes looking at the now empty steps to the club. He still couldn’t process the fact that his ex-girlfriend Sara was now dating the daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul, the head of the League of Assassins, and that they both seemed to get along with Felicity somehow. 

He grimaced as he finally took off the leather clothing that was sticking to him, dried blood and sweat coating his skin. After he took a quick shower to wash off the grime, he laid down on the cot to rest. Sadly, his mind kept going over the last real conversation he had with his mother. It was one of the most bittersweet memories he had of her. The words, “You have a child” and “I couldn’t be prouder to call you my son” kept repeating in his head over and over again.

Eventually, he found some relief in restless sleep.

 

**Big Belly Burger -**

 

“You _have_ to try it, Nyssa.”

She picked up a fry and stared at it with curiosity. “Why do you fry everything in this country?”

Felicity snorted, but Sara responded for the both of them. “because everything tastes better that way.”

Nyssa glared at her hesitantly.

“Just dip the fry in the shake. I promise it’s good,” Sara added amused.

“It really is yummy. I do it too,” Felicity said as she stuck one of her fries in her milkshake.

Nyssa looked between the two of them and when she gathered the courage to try it she looked surprised. “Mmmm… That’s delicious,” she said, her eyes lighting up.

“We told you!” Sara said as she laughed and lightly poked Nyssa’s shoulder.

Felicity was surprised by how easy it was to talk to the both of them. They looked so happy and content together. When Sara was staying at the foundry with the team, she always seemed conflicted. Yet, the woman in front of her looked like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. _This must be right for her_ , she thought to herself, surprised by the truth.

“I’m happy, you’re happy, Sara,” she said unexpectedly to the couple sitting across from her.

“Thanks, Felicity. That’s sweet of you.” Sara played with one of her fries for a second, clearly in thought.

Nyssa picked up the slack in the conversation though, “What exactly do you do for Oliver’s team?”

Felicity was still looking at Sara, who abruptly appeared uncomfortable, but continued with the change in topic. “I do the tech stuff for them mostly. Hacking, coms.” She shrugged. “I’ll help them disable bombs and other stuff like that. I’m mostly behind a computer, but that’s what I love to do.”

Nyssa nodded in approval as she appraised her. “They are lucky to have someone capable of such technical work. The league hasn’t updated our methods of communication, nor learned how to hack effectively. I’ve tried to convince my father to improve our systems, but it didn’t work…” Nyssa’s expression hardened when she mentioned her father, but swiftly shook it off and smiled at the woman across from her. “It must be helpful in certain situations.”

Felicity smiled at her and nodded, pretending not to have noticed her change in demeanor.

Nyssa was more than she expected. The conversation all dinner had been polite, sincere and she was even capable of being a little funny. It’s an odd mix considering not that long ago she was pulling a sword on Oliver. When she closely watched Nyssa interact with Sara, she could see the passion in her eyes. It was obvious to anyone watching them that Nyssa deeply loved Sara. That made Felicity’s heart melt for her, but she also felt a pang of longing. _I want that,_ she thought sadly.

She started thinking about the conversation she had with Oliver in the empty Queen Mansion hours ago. The look in his eyes when he told her ‘I love you’ took her breath away. It sounded so real. It _felt_ real. Hearing him say it made her realize that she was in love with him, so if he was lying… It just made her more confused and uncomfortable at the entire situation.

When Nyssa excused herself to go to the restroom, Sara reached her hand out, searching for Felicity’s fingers. The physical touch shook her out of her thoughts.

“Hey, are you okay?” Sara’s tone was laced with exhaustion and concern.

She was starting to feel the same way too. It was an exhausting few months. “Yea, I guess. I’m just thinking,” she muttered softly, avoiding Sara’s gaze.

Sara tilted her head to the side and looked at her, disbelief evident in her expression. Felicity cursed herself. Sara knew her well enough to know when she was upset. She couldn’t hide this from her.

Quickly Felicity came up with a semi-truth, “It’s been a long couple of days. I’m just emotionally exhausted, especially after Slade captured me.”

Sara heard something missing from her tone so she pushed on, “How did that happen anyway? I can’t imagine Ollie being okay with that.”

Felicity sighed and met Sara’s eyes. “It was actually _Oliver’s_ idea. We thought we could make Slade out think us, so he took me to the Queen Mansion and told me to stay there - Slade had set up camera’s when he took the tour of the house months before -…” She drifted off slightly, her throat catching. “ He told me to stay there because Slade took the _wrong_ woman, at least that’s what we wanted him to think. Oliver then told me he loved me and gave me a syringe of the cure. The plan was for Slade to see us and to take me, so that I could get close enough to him to stick him with the needle, then Oliver could take him down. It worked, _but_ …”

When Felicity paused a little too long Sara asked, “But _what_?" 

She groaned. “This is _weird_. You’re his ex,” she said quietly, hoping Sara would drop it.

Sara chuckled lightly and shrugged her shoulders. “Yes, I’m Oliver’s ex, but I’m now with the _daughter of the demon,_ ” she said mockingly, trying to lighten the mood and reassure her friend. It didn’t last long though. She sighed and gazed off into the distance, momentarily lost in thought. “Besides, Ollie and I were a _mistake_ from the start.” She shook her head in frustration with herself and added, “I should have learned my lesson when the boat went down – I should never have gone there again, especially after I knew how upset Laurel still was about it all. She’s a much more forgiving person than I could ever hope to be…”

Felicity stayed quiet when her friend opened up to her, it was a rarity that Sara would express her feelings or regrets. While she was still on the team, after they had lunch together that day, they had hung out many times during their free time. She had come over to Felicity’s apartment to watch a movie or Dr. Who since Sara also liked the time traveling show, she especially liked Rory which Felicity found odd. They even went out shopping or out to eat a couple of times on Felicity’s dime, Sara didn’t have a paying job, but she didn’t mind. Oliver paid her incredibly well as his EA. Anyway, she enjoyed spending time with Sara. Felicity found her fascinating and although it was hard to get to know the woman, she realized it was just because she was closed off like Oliver and not because she was trying to hide anything. Once she learned that about Sara, she quickly warmed up to her and often would talk to her about things she didn’t feel comfortable talking about with Dig or Barry.

Sara smiled at Felicity. “Enough about me. _Come on_ , tell me what’s on your mind,” she asked genuinely concerned.

Felicity nodded, conceding her defeat. “At the time, it felt like Oliver wasn’t lying. Don’t get me wrong, we agreed to the plan ahead of time, so I _knew_ it was a trick. It just… didn’t feel like one. When he said he loved me, I thought he might have been telling me the truth,” she finally admitted uncomfortably, hating her vulnerability in this moment.

Sara squeezed her fingers a little in a friendly gesture. “Felicity, I think you should talk to him. I’m pretty sure he cares for you more than you know.” She smiled a little with a twinkle in her eyes. Felicity was surprised by that statement and couldn’t find the words.

“Wait, what?” She stumbled on the words a little, but she got them out while Sara watched her patiently. “How do you know that?” she finally asked.

“Felicity, my relationship with Oliver was _complicated_ – to say the least - but it was never a forever thing. It was a comfortable and safe relationship. Neither of us expected much from each other. We… We didn’t really work. I’m not good for him. I’ll bring him back into the darkness and I want more for him than that - That’s why I left.” She smiled sadly at her friend. “I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye. I’m not really good at that sort of thing,” she admitted in a whisper.

“It’s okay – I’m bad at goodbyes too," Felicity admitted.

Sara let out a little sigh. “I think Oliver is too scared to admit to himself that he wants and _deserves_ more than a safe relationship for his life.”

After everything she’d learned about Oliver these past two years, it made a lot of sense. At this revelation Felicity felt her stomach calming down and her nerves loosening up. The puzzle pieces were starting to fit and that’s when she realized something.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Sara raised her eyebrows, “Yea, shoot.”

Felicity felt a little self-conscious, but Sara might be the only person that could answer this question since she understood Oliver pretty well. “Earlier this year, Dig, Oliver and I went to Russia for an ARGUS thing. It’s a long story, but Isabelle tagged along because we went there under the guise of a business meeting.” She paused for a second, not sure if she should really continue.

Sara huffed in annoyance. “Felicity, just _tell me_. Nyssa will be out soon and I’m assuming you don’t want to have this conversation in front of her.”

At that moment, Felicity word vomited the rest in desperation. “Well, while we were waiting for Dig to do his part for the mission, Oliver and I went our separate ways for a while. When I went to his room to get him for the mission, he opened the door… Isabelle walked out of his room, buttoning up her _shirt,_ and told me something like ‘ _my services won’t be needed tonight._ ’ I was mortified and pissed. Even before we knew she was evil, she _hated_ me, she made my life hell and treated me like shit at work. Oliver knew that and still _slept_ with her. Plus, before Russia I thought _maybe_ there was something between us...”

Sara closed her eyes and groaned sympathetically. She muttered “Ollie” under her breath in frustration, before she opened her eyes to glance at Felicity.

Felicity took it as her que to continue the tangent. “We talked about it when we came back to QC and he told me that basically with the life he’s chosen, he isn’t sure he can be with someone he could _really_ care about… What does that even mean, Sara?” she asked dreadfully. “Guys can be confusing, but Oliver takes it to a new level.” Sara looked exhausted and Felicity immediately regretted throwing all of this on her.

“Honey, Oliver has always been _horrible_ at relationships. He's a different man now in many ways, but he’s still struggling with how to express his emotions. He carries around a lot of guilt. Especially when it comes to Shado’s death, the stuff with Slade, me and the whole Laurel thing and _more_. I’m sure he's scared of hurting you too.” With a definitive nod Sara told her, “Felicity, you have to talk to Oliver about all of this. Maybe he isn’t ready yet, but don’t let him push you away either.” She huffed and shook her head. “It sounds like Oliver pushed you away this year and tried to sabotage it - maybe not purposefully – by sleeping with Isabelle and probably by starting a relationship with me too." She tilted her head at Felicity, “I wish I knew earlier. I’m sorry,” she said sincerely.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Sara. But thanks for talking to me… I really needed some girl talk,” she said, thankful for Sara’s company.

“Of course.” Sara looked at the clock and sighed loudly. “It’s getting really late and I see Nyssa is up at the counter paying for us. I need to spend some time with y family before I leave in a couple of days.”

Felicity nodded and got up to hug Sara.

After they all said their goodbyes, Felicity went back to her apartment. She quickly took off her makeup and put on some of her favorite panda pajama shorts and a tank top and climbed into her bed. She wanted to sleep for the next 12 hours, but knew she needed to get up sooner that that. She set her alarm for 10 am the next day and rolled over in bed, getting comfortable. She closed her eyes and thought about her conversation with Sara.

 _She's right, I should bring it up. I'll ask him about it on Lian Yu,_ she thought to herself.  

 

 


	4. What's Next?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Sara have a much needed discussion to clear the air a bit, but the majority of the chapter involves a fun Dr. Who and Harry Potter marathon at Felicity's apartment with Roy and Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long chapter - like over 9,000 words, but it has some really important scenes that I couldn't stand breaking up. It has a lot of dialogue and it's most Olicity centered, which I have been seriously lacking in so far. Hope you enjoy!

**May 16th 2014**

**Foundry - 10 am**

 

The day after they came home from taking Slade to the purgatory prison with some ARGUS agents, Oliver had no idea what to do with his time. Thea left the city before the attack, Roy and Felicity were most likely still asleep and Dig was spending the day with Lyla – he should, considering, they just found out they were going to have a baby. There was debris and wires everywhere, so he busied himself all morning cleaning up the foundry. When lunch time rolled around he realized he didn’t have much else to do. He didn’t dare touch Felicity’s work station, he knew she would spot even the slightest differences if he moved anything, and that wouldn’t go over well with her.

He picked up his phone to call Felicity, but he wasn’t sure if he should. After they spoke on the island, it sounded like she wasn’t going to push him. He wasn’t ready to admit his feelings to Felicity and honestly, he’s probably only starting to admit it to himself. He hesitated with his finger hovering above Felicity’s name on his phone screen, when suddenly he heard someone walking down the stairs. He swiftly put his phone away and in the same moment readied himself for a fight.

 _No one should be here,_ he thought to himself.

When a slim blond descended the stairs he immediately relaxed, smiling at her as she met his eyes.

“Hey," she said. It’s hesitant, which made sense. It’s the first time they’d been alone since they broke up. “Can we talk?” Sara asked. She motioned to the couch in the corner that Felicity recently bought. He nodded, so they walked over and sat down next to each other.

“I thought you already left,” he asked, curious.

“Nay, Nyssa and I stayed a couple extra days to spend with my family. I wanted Laurel and everyone to meet her,” she said hesitatingly, looking slightly awkward at the conversations’ topic.

He nodded, “What do you want to talk about?”

Sara huffed. “Ollie,” she said lightly. She was shaking her head at him, smirking. He wasn’t sure what to make of the move and apparently, she could sense his confusion. “I came here to talk about you.” Oliver looked at her even more confused. “Look, I care about you a lot. I wasn’t going to come here, but after I spent time with Felicity the other night, I think you need a friendly ear.” She gazed at him, concern, warmth and maybe a little amusement crossing her expression at his confusion.

He swallowed. He wasn’t sure what they talked about, but if Sara felt the need to openly discuss it with him, it probably wasn’t pleasant. “Okay” is all he could get out.

She nodded a little and continued. “Felicity is a good friend of mine now. We talk often, but she opened up to me about something that’s important. I don’t know if she has the guts to tell you herself. You know you aren’t the only one with trust issues, right?” She looked at him searching his face for something.

“Wait, Felicity has trust issues?” His throat tightened a little. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that news.

“ _Of course_ , she does. Her father abandoned her as a child – Felicity said she already told you, so I’m not telling you anything new. No kid is left unscathed by that… She hasn’t had many healthy and trusting relationships with men either. I’m only telling you this because you should try to understand her perspective.”

He thought about it for a moment, letting the words sink in. He seemed to miss the point though because his next question resulted in a look of shock staring at him, her eyes wide, at his apparent emotional foolishness. “What does that have to do with me?” he asked.

Sara laughed. “Ollie, she cares about you and I know you care about her. But between her own issues and your close friendship, she won’t make the first move with you. You have to.” Sara leaned back against the couch getting more comfortable. “But the real reason I’m here is because I know you’re scared of your feelings for her and you need to talk to someone about this… Or you will continue to mess it up.” She let that sink in for a moment, staying silent.

Oliver looked at her and nodded, slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable by the conversation he was currently having with his ex-girlfriend about a woman he was in love with, who wasn’t Sara. He took a deep breath, wondering how many other people had noticed his feelings for Felicity since he met her. Eventually, he got up the courage to ask her a question he’d been thinking about a lot lately. “Why am I scared?”

She tilted her head at him. “Seriously, you don’t know?” When he shook his head in confirmation, she took a deep breath and told him the hard truth. “You’re scared of what you might do to hurt her. Your past relationships have all had serious issues and usually you’re the one sabotaging it or you end up hurting someone. I think once you realized you have feelings for Felicity, you continued to push her away by being with other women, whether girlfriends or one-night stands, like Isabelle.”

Oliver whipped his head up at that to look at her. When she gave him a concerned but steady glare he grimaced, “She told you.”

Sara gave him a sad smile, “Yea, it really hurt her.”

“I know. I regretted it the moment I saw her face.”

“You deserve to be happy, so stop sabotaging it.”

“I don’t know how.” After a moment Oliver closed his eyes and let out a sigh, his jaw tightening as he felt a headache coming on.

Sara smiled weakly at him and placed her hands on his shoulders gently. “You’ll figure it out.”

Oliver nodded, “It’s not just that. I don’t know if I can be the arrow _and_ have a real life. I couldn’t manage QC and being the arrow. How could I be in a serious relationship with someone like Felicity?” He looked at Sara, eyes wide with vulnerability – or at least as much vulnerably as he was capable of showing – waiting for a response. Oliver hesitated for a moment and then bit the bullet, “What if being with me gets her hurt?”

Sara tilted her head at him pulling back her hands from his shoulders, she said, “Relationships are tricky no matter what. Being the arrow will complicate things, but I think you can do it. Plus, she chose this life with you when you were just friends. She’ll be in danger whether she is romantically linked to you or not. You’re not helping her by keeping your distance.” Sara smiled at him a little, “Why did you want to be in a relationship with me but not her? Was is because of safety reasons or something else?”

Oliver took in her expression for a minute before responding. He shook his head in frustration and told her the truth. “I’m not sure. I didn’t worry about your physical safety when we were together… But it was more than that. I care about you a lot – I always will – but…” he couldn’t finish the sentence.

The realization and the desire for it was too painful to say. He’d spent so many years assuming he would eventually die alone either on the island, during his time in ARGUS or in the middle of his crusade. For seven years he never allowed himself to dream of having a future with someone like Felicity; someone kind, smart, witty, passionate and beautiful. He’d suppressed his feelings for so many years… It was needed at the time for survival’s sake, but now. Felicity had wormed her way into his life and into his dreams for a future with her babbling next to him forever.

Sara interrupted his thoughts. “You can see a future – a _normal life_ with Felicity. Can’t you?” The truth of her words stung him like a burn to the skin. It hurt more than the vast majority of physical pain he had endured through the years. But before he could process the whole meaning of what she told him she continued on. “Ollie, there is _nothing_ wrong with wanting someone in your life. You don’t have to choose between being happy and being the arrow. You can have both.”

He nodded, feeling slightly less conflicted as her words sunk in, even if his self-hatred still reigned supreme.

Sara rolled her eyes at him, “You need to stop feeling guilty about your past relationships and sexual escapades. You are a different man now. You deserve someone like Felicity. Someone who will bring out the best in you.” She searched his eyes to see if what she was saying was getting through to him. From what he could tell, she didn’t seem satisfied yet.

“I don’t know if you want to hear this, but maybe it will help. Nyssa had a similar issue before she and I got together.” She closely watched Oliver’s face for permission to continue, so he nodded. “Okay… So she’s Ra’s Al Ghuls daughter, and one day she will lead the league. Her father doesn’t approve of relationships for love, so she ignored her feelings for me for a while. Eventually she realized that we make a better team together. That she deserves to find some happiness, even if she’s the daughter of the demon and can’t have a normal life. When she takes over, she won’t need his permission and with that knowledge she chose me… There isn’t a point to obsessing over ‘what ifs’. Life is too short.” She huffed and with a smirk added, “As an assassin, I should know.”

Oliver’s surprised, but the comparison with Nyssa’s situation helped. He had a lot to think about, but he was undoubtedly grateful to Sara for this conversation. He smiled a little in gratitude, “Thank you, Sara. It’s not a conversation I imagined we would have, but thank you.” He ran his fingers through his hair and glanced at her, hoping his eyes conveyed how much this meant to him because he couldn’t find the right words to express it. That’s always been his problem…

Sara winked at him, “I know.”

Oliver frowned slightly, in thought. “Can I ask you a question?” he asked hesitantly. She looked suspicious, but nodded anyway. “Why did you never talk about Nyssa? You clearly didn’t stop loving her,” he muttered softly.

She closed her eyes and groaned, “That’s _complicated_ , but…” she said quietly avoiding his gaze, “I couldn’t stand the killing anymore and I knew she would never let me go if I told her I still loved her, so I _lied -_ it was a lie by omission, but it was still a lie. Not one of my proudest moments, but it was the only thing I could think of.” She looked at him and continued, her eyes clouded in shame, “I never talked about her because it hurt too much... I’m sorry, Ollie. I kind of used you to try and move on.”

He nodded, completely understanding. After all, he basically did the same thing with her, so he could shut down his growing emotional attachment to Felicity. “I understand,” he finally said. “When did you become a couple?” he asked, his curiosity about their relationship peaking.

Sara smiled wistfully, remembering the day. “About a year after I joined the league. When I left, we had been together for three years,” she said sadly.

“That’s a long time.”

She huffed in acknowledgment. “Ollie, I want you to understand something. She was the one who _saved_ me – she took me in and protected me when her father wanted her to kill me – and she trained me to join the League. It was the only way they wouldn’t kill me since I had spent time in Nanda Parbat and she only took me their so I wouldn't die. She did what she thought she had to, but she never really wanted me to join the league,” she explained. When he didn’t say anything she continued. She said, “I’m sure you only see her as an assassin, but I know a different side of her. She’s told me about her dreams, her childhood, we share inside jokes and like the same food. She has always supported and protected me.”

“When she found me on the island,” she choked out, “I was practically dead. I was a mess after the hell we all went through there. I felt weak, vulnerable and I wanted to die. Nyssa showed me how to take care of myself. She reminded me of how strong I am and taught me a lot. Sure, I’m an assassin now, but she didn’t show me the darkness – it was already inside me when she found me dying on Lian Yu. Nyssa’s a good person, she was just dealt a bad hand.”

Oliver analyzed her expression and saw only genuine sincerity. _She really feels that way_ , he thought, slightly shocked. “I trust your judgement, Sara” he said. Life was complicated, and if Nyssa really did help Sara in the ways Sara described, then she couldn’t be all bad. He wouldn’t trust Nyssa with much, until she proved herself to him, but he could trust Nyssa with Sara it seemed. He smiled at her, “I’m glad you’re happy.”

She bit her lip, smiling wide. “I am,” she admitted softly. “I hope you get there too.” Sara brushed her fingers against his jaw and told him, “I gotta go, but take care of yourself, okay?”

He smiled at her, he’d always care about Sara, “You too.”

She got up and began to walk away leaving Oliver deep in thought when Sara’s voice brought him out of his trance.

“Ollie!”

He looked up at her, “Someone should train Felicity in basic firearms and self-defense. She should know how to protect herself.” He saw her smirk and before he could reply she ran up the stairs and yelled, “Just food for thought!”

He chuckled and shook his head. Sara had never been subtle and that’s one of the reasons why he’d always been fond of her.

 

***

**Felicity's Apartment - Same Morning**

Felicity leisurely stretched her muscles in bed, trying to wake up. The feeling of her soft sheets against her skin made her sigh in pleasure as she tried to gather her senses. After a few minutes, she finally opened her eyes and groaned at the bright light shining through the window of her bedroom. She closed her eyes abruptly at the brightness and mumbled to herself in anger, “I forgot to shut the curtains when I got home.”

She buried her head in her pillow trying to forget that the day had already started. Oliver, Dig and Felicity got home from Lian Yu late the night before, so she was utterly depleted by the time she got to her apartment. She crashed immediately and didn’t wake up from her sleep once all night. Most likely she had been asleep for way too many hours.  _I should wake up and start my day_ , she told herself. By now, she could have made herself some coffee, worked out, showered and got ready for a mundane day of trying to find a real job now that the immediate danger was over, but she had slept in. In her defense, it had been an exhaustively long few months: filled with kidnappings, death, torture, and an army of really aggressive and deadly super soldiers along with the terrifying Deathstroke. The constant stress, anxiety and adrenaline of the last many months had finally washed over her body, leaving her feeling physically and emotionally drained. She didn’t want to move.

Instead, she decided to reflect on the recent life and death events. Somehow, they all survived, well, except Moira. To be honestly, she never liked Moira or her threats, but she always respected the fact that she loved her children more than life itself. The fact that she sacrificed herself for her children in the end proved it. She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to watch her own be mother be murdered in front of her. Just the thought of being in the same position with her mother made Felicity feel sick to her stomach. As much as Felicity had a strained relationship with her mother, she always loved her – that would never change. She knew Oliver felt the same about his mother. The fact that the immediate danger was finally over, just meant that he would have more time to focus on his loss.

She was startled by a vibrating noise coming from the side of her bed. She fumbled around trying to find it until she felt the cold metal of her phone in her fingers. She let out a content sigh at the feeling of having technology in her hands again. _It’s been too long_ , she thought fondly to herself, cherishing her phone. She opened her eyes again, carefully so she wasn’t jarred by the brightness of her surroundings and looked at her phone. Roy texted her. She sat up a little at that. Isn’t it too early for him to be texting her? All he said was, _Do you want to hang out?_

She gasped, “Oh my god.” She was shocked when she noticed the time; It was _three forty-four_ in the afternoon. She had slept for over twelve hours. She quickly shot Roy a response: _sure, whenever you want_.

She quickly got out of bed and uttered a little whine at the loss of comfort.  She took a shower, knowing it would help her wake up, and immediately headed to the kitchen to make coffee while still in her towel. Her phone was never far away though, so when Roy texted back, she heard it immediately. She read the text and fist pumped the air at his reply. _Finally,_ she thought, _we’re gonna watch Dr. Who together._ She sent back a text with a request for him to bring pizza and then sauntered over to her closet happily, grabbing a simple pair of jeans and a cute navy and white striped over-sized cotton t-shirt that hung off one of her shoulders, not bothering with bra.

She never tried to look very cute around Roy. She knew he didn’t care – he was practically her kid brother at this point – and he was still madly in love with Thea. It’s simple when they hung out, they were both Team Arrow and they could always commiserate on some things. They both grew up poor, were abandoned by at least one parent and often times liked similar movies. She wanted to take him under her wing and help him out, so they hung out sometimes once he found out Oliver was the Arrow. She enjoyed his company, she always wanted a little brother and now she kind of had one.

She continued on with her normal routine; she put her hair up in a simple ponytail and applied a little makeup. She didn’t bother with her usual bright lipstick or even mascara. It wasn’t that kind of day. On her way out of the bathroom, she grabbed some bright fuchsia nail polish from a drawer. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a nice steaming cup of coffee and sat down at the coffee table to start doing her toes. She finished the first coat before her phone started ringing, but this time it was Oliver. She paused for a second but quickly picked up the phone. “Oliver, is something wrong?” she asked, panic rising in her voice by the end of the question.

“Felicity, no. Everything’s fine.”

She let out a deep breath trying to relax. She couldn’t help the feeling that maybe he was calling because Slade had gotten out or some other miserable possibility. “Oh, Okay. Good… What do you need then?” She wasn’t sure why he was calling and Roy was about to get to her apartment, so she wanted him to get to the point.

There was a moment of silence on the line though and when she was about to start babbling about what he might want, he cut her off, “Do you have plans tonight?”

The question threw her for a second. He had casually asked her about her plans at the foundry or over coms to fill the silence many times, but he rarely called her to ask that question unless he wanted something else too. But she moved on from the shock quick enough to respond without any awkward pauses.

“Yea, actually. Roy is coming over now. We’re going to binge-watch some Dr. Who and eat pizza. If he hates the show I promised him I’d watch a Borne movie with him, so we’ll probably be hanging out most of the day, or actually night, at this point.”

She finished her excessively detailed description of her plan with Roy and wasn’t sure what to say next. _Should I invite him?_ _It’s just a friendly thing, so that would be safe, right?_ She stopped second guessing herself quickly. “You can join too, if you want.”

She could hear his breath sharpen a little at that declaration, but she couldn’t read his reaction over the phone - He always said more with his body language than words. She waited for his response patiently, if not a little awkwardly. Hopefully, he couldn’t tell over the phone.

All she heard was a little, “umm” before he finally responded. “If you don’t mind, I’d like that.”

At this point her eyebrows were raised. _Why the heck is he so awkward all of a sudden?_ She’d never heard him act this way before. He seemed unsure, which was more up her alley than his. Yet, she felt a little thrill at the idea of him coming over.

“Yes. I mean, not at all. Come on over. Roy should be here soon.” She couldn’t help the smile that was plastered all over her face at the thought.

He sounded relieved when he responded, “Okay. I’ll see you soon.”

With that they hung up and she went about fixing up the apartment a bit, something she wouldn’t have bothered doing if only Roy was coming over. She stopped in the middle of drying off a glass when she realized she barely had any makeup on. She put the glass down and ran to a mirror. Looking at her reflection she muttered, “Oh _frack_.” Despite her life-long annoyance at her mother's constant pestering to never let a man see her without her make up on, she grabbed her makeup bag. She quickly brushed on little blush and added a couple of layers of mascara to make her look a little more like herself and less deadly exhausted. It immediately made her feel more confident. _Oh well,_ she decided, _confidence is more important right now._  As she finished up with her makeup, swiping an eye shadow on her eyelids with a small brush, she heard a knock on the door.

She walked to the door easily, the apartment wasn’t very large, and turned the doorknob opening it. She hesitated for a millisecond thinking that it could be Oliver, but shook the nerves off just as fast. He’s her friend. She opened the door to find Roy, in his usual red hoodie carrying two large pizza boxes and a paper bag on top of them.

“Yum… Come on in,” Felicity said.

Roy smiled at her, still holding the food, and walked into the apartment past her since she was still holding the door open. He had been over enough times that he put the food down on the kitchen island and made himself at home. Roy took container of ice cream out of the paper bag and held it up to show her.

Her eyes widened. “Mint chip?” she asked excitedly.

Roy laughed and shook his head, “Of course.”

“You’re the best!” She took the ice cream from him, “Let me put it in the freezer.”

Roy nodded. “Plates?”

Felicity grabbed a few plates from one of her bright blue kitchen cabinets and handed them to Roy. “Do you want some beer, red wine or water?”

Roy looked at the plates confused. “Why did you give me three plates?”

She paused for a second realizing that maybe Roy would find it awkward to hang out with Oliver outside of their nighttime activities. I mean he was technically Roy’s mentor. She quietly said, “Oliver called and I sort of invited him.”

Roy paused, glancing at Felicity, he contemplated her expression for a moment before he responded to her. “Okay. Has he been here before?”

She could tell he was searching for information. She wasn’t exactly big on lying to her friends, if she could avoid it, so she decided to tell him the truth. She busied herself with pouring a glass of water to avoid his glare, she said, “No.”

She knew he sensed her anxiety over it because he walked over and patted her awkwardly on the shoulder in a comforting gesture. “It should be fun,” he told her casually. He walked back to the kitchen island and packed his plate with multiple pieces of pizza. “I’ll have a beer,” he finally replied. She was grateful for something else to do, so she grabbed him a beer happily. He waited a minute for her to grab the beer from the fridge before he asked a question, “So what episode are we going to start with?”

She shook her shoulders a little in excitement and wiggled her eyebrows at Roy when she told him, “The one with the weeping angels.” He laughed at her excitement. It most likely looked absurd, she realized, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t have been more pumped to finally watch Doctor Who with Roy and Oliver.

Felicity started hooking up her laptop to a large computer screen for the Netflix binge. In true Felicity fashion, her tech set up was a little ridiculous. She had multiple computers, one self-made desk top and two laptops, a lot of other hardware, external hard drives and a tablet. She also had 2 monitors. One of them was really large and sat atop a long narrow desk in the location most people would put a television in a family room. She used it to watch shows and movies, but it also doubled as a large desk when she brought over the comfy chair that she kept in the corner of the room; Felicity always prided herself on her efficiency. When she started punching away on her keyboard to bring up Netflix they heard someone knock on the door.

Before Felicity could move a muscle or speak, Roy stood up. “I’ll get it,” he said casually. Roy opened the door to find Oliver standing there in his usual jeans, Henley and leather jacket looking slightly uncomfortable and ridged. They quietly and awkwardly greeted each other, which made Felicity stifle a laugh with her arm.

She turned her head, smiling at him, and greeted Oliver with a “Hey.” He smiled back and nodded at her. When she realized a moment later that he still hadn’t walked into her place, she quickly got up and walked over. She waved him in and said, “Come on in. Roy brought pizza and ice cream.” She pointed to the food and walked into her small kitchen. “Do you want a beer or something?” He usually didn’t drink much, but she tended to only see him when he was working one of his jobs. “Help yourself to pizza or whatever you can find in the fridge – there probably isn’t much though. I haven’t exactly had much time to shop between all of the craziness. I barely had enough time to wash my hair some days. I've been mostly living on takeout.”

He smiled a little, visibly relaxing, “Sure. Beer sounds good.”

“Kay.” She handed him the beer. “Let’s all go sit down and start the marathon, then!” She couldn’t help her excitement, it was bleeding into her words so much so that her voice went up an octave.

She settled into the couch next to Roy - they were both sitting in their usual spots - and Oliver made his way to the small sofa next to them and laid down on it. Before Felicity started the show, she went on her usual spiel, which Roy huffed at while rolling his eyes.

“Okay. A few rules: no talking unless it’s story related, no pausing unless its dire, and above all do not make fun of the Tardis.”

Oliver looked at her slightly amused and yet at the same time like she had two head, “What’s a Tardis?”

Felicity sighed and rolled her eyes at him. “Oliver do you ever listen to me,” she asked dramatically.

"When you make sense,” Oliver deadpanned.

She smiled at him and continued: “Well, the Tardis is a very cool time machine in the shape of a British phone booth and it’s bigger on the inside than you’d think. The Doctor, whose an alien Timelord B-T-W, uses the Tardis to time travel through history and the future and explore the universe with some friends. They end up saving people, alien races and even time itself sometimes.” She smiled wide, her blue eyes twinkling with excitement, “The storytelling potential is limitless – it’s fun to watch.”

She saw Oliver’s expression change from confusion to disbelief to amusement when he asked, “This is your _favorite_ tv show?”

She glared at him a little. “ _Yes_ , it is. We are going to start with the episode ‘Blink’. It’s a cult favorite and it involves my favorite iteration of the Doctor, played by David Tenant.”

“You mean the evil dude in one of those Harry Potter movies?” Roy asked sounding somewhat interested. She had to give him credit for trying to be interested in something he wasn’t.

Oliver had a mildly confused look on his face, which she had come to associate with his lack of pop culture knowledge.

She looked at both of the men and responded, “Yes. He’s a well-known British actor who was in the 4th Harry Potter movie.” She then pointed directly at Oliver, “I still _need_ to show you those movies, one of these days. They are classics at this point – the fact that you only recently realized they made the books into movies mean we have _a lot_ of work to do.” She smiled at him in hopes that he’d like the idea.

He raised his hands up in mock surrender with a smirk on his face. “Okay,” he said.

With that handled, Felicity turned off the lights and cuddled up under her favorite white fuzzy blanket next to Roy before starting the episode. She was excited to say the least about finally having down time to watch any show, but especially now that she’d finally convinced Roy and Oliver to watch an episode with her. Yet, as she settled into eating her pizza she kept subtly glancing over to see Oliver’s reaction during certain scenes. She was oddly nervous and hopeful that he would like the show. They rarely did anything fun or semi-normal together. She felt like she needed to pinch herself to make sure it was real. After all, he’d never been to her place. They sat there happily for a half an hour, watching the episode until she was startled out of her thoughts by Oliver.

“This isn’t scary,” he said, in an unimpressed voice.

Before thinking, she reacted with such a visceral response that she, well, half-heartedly, threw a pillow at him. When he caught it, because _of_ _course_ the Arrow would catch a pillow that was thrown at him in the darkness of a room. His face was half lit by the screen and she could tell he was smirking at her with a glimmer of playfulness evident in his blue eyes. As much as she wanted to respond with a snarky comment, the look on his face made her melt. He was teasing her – baiting her and she refused to give him the satisfaction.

It turned out that the whole time she was thinking about Oliver, they’d been staring into each other’s eyes. Her heart quickened at the realization and before she fully grasped it, she bit down on her bottom lip. She noticed for a split second that he glanced at her lips, but he quickly shifted his gaze back to the show, avoiding her. _He clearly has feelings for me too,_ she thought to herself. _Ugh maybe this was a bad idea._ She internally groaned at the frustration mounting inside her core.

She huffed in annoyance and muttered under her breath. “It’s impossible not to _blink_. How the heck are you supposed to protect yourself if the moment you blink they attack you? Or what about if the lights go out? Come on, that’s a _bit_ disturbing,” she mumbled flabbergasted at his disinterest. He pretended not to hear her, so she rolled her eyes and continued watching the show in silence for a while. She looked over at Roy, who had been oddly silent for a while. He seemed to be engrossed in the episode. _Well, at least one person likes it_ , she thought semi-satisfied.

Five minutes or so later she heard Roy breathe, “oh shit” softly during a more intense scene. He never took his eyes off the scene but started talking to Felicity anyway, his tone impressed. “This is creepier than I thought it would be.”

All Felicity could do was laugh because it was true. Some episodes were entirely fluff and funny and others were dark, intense and disturbing. It was still always a semi-children’s show though, so it was never _that_ bad.

In the middle of a creepy scene where multiple angels started to turn the lights out and were cornering two characters, she blurted something out without thinking. “It’s good creepy, not Slade creepy.” She looked over to see Oliver stiffen, his face glazing over. _Frack._ She quietly added a “sorry” in Oliver’s direction, in hopes that he understood she didn’t _purposely_ bring him up – it was just word vomit. _I should probably stop drinking_ , she thought as she took another sip of her glass of red wine. He seemed to relax a little after that though, so she let herself get lost in the show again, trying to forget about her mistake.

By the end of the episode, they both agreed to watch more of the show. They watched the next episode, which happened to include Captain Jack Harkness. The moment the Doctor, his companion Martha Jones, and Captain Jack teamed up, Felicity smiled happily. She loved their dynamic.

“Jack looks familiar,” Roy said quietly. “Have I seen him in anything else, Blonde?”

“The actor does a lot of theater and he had his own show Torchwood for a little while, but if you don’t know Captain Jack Harkness, probably not” she added, only half listening to Roy.

Oliver frowned and said quietly, his voice grave, “I don’t trust him.”

Felicity rolled her eyes. “You don’t trust anyone, Oliver,” she said under her breath.

“That’s not true,” he said softly, “I trust you, Felicity.”

She locked eyes with him again, his expression was sincere and filled with love. She momentarily lost control of herself and almost reached out to kiss him, but she caught herself before she moved her hands. She immediately regretted not wearing a bra. She turned back to the show before she did anything silly and pulled the blanket up to covertly cover up her suddenly hardening nipples from the two men in the room. She poured herself another glass of wine, hoping it would help settle her nerves and then went back to watching the ridiculous antics on screen.

A few hours later they’d finished watching three more episodes while laughing and joking around. Usually Roy or Oliver teased Felicity, but she was fine with it. Everyone seemed happy and content for once, which was more than enough. Roy drank at least 3 beers – probably more like 6 - and Felicity had a little too much wine, so she was starting to babble more freely. Of course, though Oliver stuck with water after his first couple of beers, ruling clearheaded safety over fun and relaxation like he always seemed to do. The sun was just beginning to set at this point, so they decided to switch over to a movie, but they couldn’t seem to agree on one.

“What about Die Hard or Bourne Identity?” asked Roy.

Felicity easily agreed to either since Roy was nice enough to placate her by watching Doctor Who. Oliver wanted to watch something he hadn’t already seen, which was a lot. Hence, the arguing. They all went over a multitude of options, but they couldn’t agree still.

Abruptly Felicity reached over to lightly grab Roy’s shoulder, blurting out excitedly, “Lets watch the first Harry Potter movie!”

The level of excitement she was showing was starting to register with her and she realized she was probably more drunk than she thought. Roy agreed to it, so she looked over to see Oliver staring at her with a happy yet conflicted expression crossing his face – but she was too drunk to analyze that, so she moved on. She waited for his response with wide eyes and a smirk. Oliver nodded in agreement.

Roy laughed loudly at Felicity, as she fist pumped the air and whispered, “yes,” a little too happily. It was just a Harry Potter movie after all. Also, it probably wasn’t a whisper considering she was quite drunk and when she looked around to see Oliver trying to hide his laughter by covering his mouth with his arm, she realized she must have sounded ridiculous _. Oh well._ She shook off their teasing. “ _Please_ , you both know I’m a total dork,” she said rolling her eyes.

“Before we start, let me grab the ice cream,” Roy said as she was about to hit play.

Felicity nodded and yelled to him as he reached the kitchen, “just get three spoons! My dishwasher is broken and I _hate_ cleaning dishes by hand.”

They heard Roy opening and closing a bunch of cabinet drawers – Felicity was guessing he forgot where the silverware was stored, which probably meant he was pretty drunk as well. _At least I’m not alone in that,_ she thought to herself.

He’d been gone for only a minute or so, but Oliver looked like he was starting to get uncomfortable. They’d never been alone in her apartment. She took a deep breath to steady herself – the alcohol probably wasn’t helping though. Her head felt pretty foggy at the moment, but maybe that was keeping her from babbling which could be a good thing, she considered.

“Your apartment looks like you,” he said unexpectedly, breaking the silence.

She tilted her head at Oliver. “What the heck does that mean?” she asked, confused.

He shrugged. “It’s colorful and fun - there are flowers and graphic prints all over the place. Books line the walls and you have a lot of tech.” He smiled at her, his eyes barely visible in the darkened room. “I love it.”

She held her breath for a second, silently thanking god that the room was mostly dark because her face felt rather red hot. All she could vocalize in the moment was a gently said “Thank you” before Roy walked back into the room ruining the moment.

When Roy came back with a quart of mint chip ice cream and 3 spoons, Felicity made room on the couch for Oliver and Roy. She patted the open seat cushions on either side of her for them to sit down. For a second she thought Oliver might stay on the loveseat, but he moved and sat down next to her. She swallowed hard when she realized how close he was sitting next to her. She could feel his body heat radiating off of him and it felt addictive. Their legs were almost touching and she could practically feel his breath on the side of her neck, making her stomach flip in excitement.

Thankfully, Roy sat down next to her and handed them each their spoons to snap her out of it. She had to keep retelling herself that Oliver and her were just friends, nothing more. _He made that perfectly clear the other day,_ she reminded herself. Yes, Felicity had a crush on him, but it was one sided. _Or at least that’s what he wants me to think,_ she thought.

“Turn the movie on, Blonde,” Roy said, completely unfazed, or purposefully ignorant, of their moment a second ago.

They watched the movie in the comfort of her couch, eating ice cream in silence.

Suddenly Roy groaned. “I forgot how annoying Hermione was in the beginning,” he mumbled.

“Don’t be mean,” Felicity said, slightly annoyed.

Roy laughed, “You only _think_ it’s mean because you were probably a know-it-all in school too.”

Felicity gaped at Roy, her eyes narrowing into a glare. _How dare he_. “No, I _wasn’t_ ,” she said, feeling infuriated. 

Oliver stifled a laugh and Roy stared at her, amused. “Come on, you were a brilliant geek in school. You even graduated with a Masters from MIT at the age when most people would have only gotten a bachelor’s degree. Plus, you sometimes act like a know-it-all _now_. You _must_ have been one as a kid.”

“ _Excuse_ me,” she said baffled. “You’re only jealous because I’m right so often,” she slurred. She turned to Oliver expectantly, “Oliver, back me up.”

Oliver shook his head, trying to keep a straight face but failed miserably. She looked shocked at him for not defending her and slapped him hard, well, what her drunk mind _thought_ was hard.

“Oliver Queen, do not be rude to me in my own home,” she mumbled, her eyes slightly glazed over.

He smiled at her, “I’m sorry, Felicity. That was rude of me,” he said, placating her, knowing that she most likely wouldn’t remember this in the morning anyway.

Eventually the ice cream became a melted mess, so Roy went and put it away. At that point, Oliver had slowly drifted one of his arms around the back of the couch, his hand grazing her bare shoulder. It sent a shiver down her spine at the skin on skin contact. Shortly after he placed his hand on her shoulder, she sank into his side, slightly resting her head against his chest to see if he would pull away - she wasn’t drunk enough to forget about their weird friend/flirty relationship. When he didn’t move she relaxed into him further.

In Felicity’s exhausted and buzzed stupor, she ended up pulling her legs up on the couch - where Roy usually sat -and cuddled up under the blanket laying on her side, into Oliver’s firm body. When she got comfy she let out a little moan, nuzzling into his chest, and continued to watch the movie with half shut eyes. She was so exhausted that she didn’t even notice when Roy came back into the room, or that he rolled his eyes at them and settled into the loveseat. If she had noticed Roy’s reaction, she wouldn’t have cared because Oliver’s arm was wrapped around her while she cuddled into his chest, feeling his warm body against hers. _This is the best feeling in the world,_ she thought happily, half asleep.

Felicity whined a little when she woke up, hearing two voices in the distance talking. She slowly realized that the voices belonged to Roy and Oliver and they seemed to be discussing whether they should wake her up. She kept her eyes closed a little longer, so she could listen to their conversation covertly. It wasn’t anything very interesting, sadly. Roy seemed to think they should wake her up and Oliver thought he should just carry her to bed and let her sleep.  _Ugh, why are they even having this conversation – it’s my apartment. Just leave me in peace, people,_ she thought to herself, feeling grumpy and sleepy. She internally rolled her eyes to keep herself from huffing at the unneeded delicate attention.

She sat up and found that they weren’t in the living room. _Where the hell are they? And what time is it?_  She looked around the room and found her phone. “frack,” she mumbled. It was three in the morning. _Did the movie just end? Or did we watch something else_ , she asked herself. Her head began to throb. _God, how drunk did I get? I still feel buzzed._

Felicity sighed and decided it was best to just get up now, so she could get into bed and sleep. She walked towards the voices in the kitchen and found them talking around the kitchen island completely relaxed and friendly.

She stopped for a second to take in the scene. It was rare for Felicity to see Oliver hanging out at a friend’s place, talking to someone with no ulterior motives. His barriers seemed down tonight, at least somewhat, because she could see the hint of sadness that glimmered in his eyes – even if it was just for the briefest of moments. Roy cracked a snarky joke like he usually did and while normally Oliver might have glared at him for it, he actually smiled at Roy and showed his _teeth. What has happened?_   She crossed her arms and stayed there standing in the doorway, feeling utterly confused for a couple more minutes.

Suddenly, Oliver turned around making eye contact with her. “How long have you been awake?” he asked, quietly.

She snorted in response. _Is there something they didn’t want me to hear and maybe that’s his way of figuring it out, or maybe he’s just wondering if I’ve been standing here longer than he thought._ Eventually she leaned against the old wooden molding, lining the doorway to the kitchen, and responded with a tilt of her head and a cheeky, “You tell me?”

She could tell he liked that answer, his eyes seem to dance with amusement with the challenge, which of course he would accept. “You’ve been awake for likely around 10 minutes and you’ve been standing there for…. Approximately 3 minutes,” he finished his statement while he looked at his phone.

He was too close to being right, so she simply glared at him. She heard Roy shaking his head and mumbling something about “betting” off in the distance, but she only had eyes for Oliver. His expression was intoxicating, even if she wasn’t already drunk. She rarely saw the playful, hopeful and happy side of the man standing in front of her and she had a feeling she would love him. She quickly made herself stop daydreaming because Oliver had made it clear many times that he chose not to be in a relationship with her. She needed to end this interaction now because at the moment she would love nothing more than to walk over to him, kiss him passionately, tare off his shirt off and have her way with him on the kitchen island.

Roy coughed suddenly, his eyes widening in horror.

She looked at him and realized she might have said some of that out loud. _Oh god, I’m really drunk still if I said that,_ she thought, embarrassment overwhelming her. She took a deep breath and continued staring at Roy, avoiding Oliver’s gaze, “I’m gonna head to bed. Roy if you’re too drunk to drive, just stay on the couch. I’ll go buy bagels in the morning for us.” Roy simply nodded in agreement and walked over to the couch to lay down.

 She started to walk to her bedroom when she quickly glanced back to see Oliver watching her walk away, a heated look in his eyes that it sent a thrill through her. She smiled at him and said, “I’m glad you could make it, Oliver. Goodnight."

“Goodnight, Felicity,” he said as she shut her bedroom door.

Once she closed the door, she tumbled to the bed not worried about changing into pajamas. She was too tired to care. She crawled into her bed and threw a pillow on top of her face. _What the hell did I say out loud?_ She wondered, cringing at the thought of telling them that she wanted to ‘have her way’ with Oliver.

 

The next morning, she woke up groaning loudly. Her head was pounding. She heard noises in the kitchen and smelled something yummy. _Did Roy stay over_ , she wondered? She tried to remember the night before, but a lot of it was foggy. She remembered watching a couple of episodes of Doctor Who – maybe three – but after that it became a bit blurry.

She stumbled out of bed and realized she was still in the clothes she was wearing yesterday. She shook her head and walked to the kitchen. Roy was there, flipping pancakes, like a wonderful god.

“You’re the most amazing person in the _world_ ,” she said while groaning in pain, her headache getting worse as she moved around. She walked over to the coffee maker, grabbed a clean mug on the counter and poured herself a cup.

He chuckled a little. “It’s good hangover food and I figured you’d need it… We all know you can’t cook for shit, so I thought I would make them.”

She sat down at the kitchen island and took a long sip of the hot drink to help the headache. “Yeah, last night is a bit foggy. What happened?” she asked, confused.

Roy put a plate of pancakes dosed with maple syrup, like she loved, in front of Felicity and then walked over to put together his own plate. He stayed silent, avoiding her gaze.

“Roy Harper, what happened?” she asked, as she started to recall a feeling of someone’s muscular arm wrapped around her, her head on a man’s chest, his fingers lightly tracing the skin of lower back, while they were cuddled under a blanket. _Oh god, did we have clothes on_ , she wondered. She gasped aloud, “Please, don’t tell me _we did_ anything,” she asked, disturbed.

Roy walked over to the island and shook his head. “No, we didn’t do anything, but um you and Oliver were quite close on the couch,” he said, averting her eyes.

“Oh _god_ , I remember cuddling with someone. That was _Oliver_?” she asked, shocked, as memories started to return to her. Her eyes shot up to look at him. Her voice cracked when she asked, “Did he _kiss_ my head, when he got up at one point?”

Roy grimaced. “Yea. Like I said you two were _close_ … It was a bit uncomfortable for me after a while, so I kept drinking,” he said when he glanced at her. “I rarely get a hangover anymore and my head is _killing_ me today,” he said, making his point clear.

“I’m _so_ sorry, Roy” she admitted in embarrassment. “What else happened?” she asked, unsure of whether she really wanted the details.

“Nothing else,” he said. He looked down and ate a few bites of his pancakes, avoiding her eyes again.

She felt like she was going to throw up, but she couldn’t tell if it was because of the alcohol or what she thought she remembered. She whined a little. “Roy, what did I _say_ at the end of the night,” she asked, helplessly.

Roy cleared his throat, looking very uncomfortable, at the idea of answering her question. Eventually, he put his fork down and bit the bullet. “You _might_ have mumbled something about taking off Oliver’s clothes and having your way with him on the kitchen island,” he muttered, barely intelligible.

“No!” she gasped. “What the _fuck_! How drunk was I?” she asked, horrified with herself. He looked taken aback by her swearing, but she didn’t care. _If any moment qualified as a valid time to curse, this is it,_ she thought to herself.

He shrugged, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but her apartment at the moment. “You were more drunk then I realized – I would have cut you off, had I known.” Felicity wanted to curl up in a ball and die of embarrassment. He smiled gently at her, “The good news is he seemed to enjoy the comment,” he added uncomfortably.

She looked up from the counter, where her forehead was currently resting. “What?” she asked, slightly confused.

Roy nodded. “Yeah, you heard me right. From the look on his face, if I wasn’t there and you weren’t completely fucked up, I’m pretty sure he would have done what you wanted.”

She sat up, waking up more at his words. “Oh,” she said, while she let the meaning sink in. She didn’t know what else to say, so they stayed silent for a while, eating their pancakes in peace. After some time passed, her headache was finally going away and she started to feel a bit more like herself. At this point, she could remember the majority of the night, except for the part where she had fallen asleep  _in Oliver’s arms_. She sighed, exasperated.

Roy raised his eyebrows at her, “What?”

She groaned. “I’m so confused with Oliver. Two days ago, he basically told me he didn’t love me and now _this_ ,” she said frustrated.

Roy grimaced. “Well, the man is the king of mixed messages - unless he’s the arrow - it seems he can never stick with a decision.”

She snorted at the thought. “Yep,” she said, her lips making a quiet popping noise at the movement. “Anyway,” she said changing the subject, “What’s up with your love life?” she asked Roy.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Sorry,” she said startled by his overt annoyance. “Did Thea say goodbye to you before she left?”

“Sort-of” he grumbled.

“What does that mean?” she asked. Like any good big sister, she decided to push him to talk about his feelings.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said more roughly.

“Okay, I get the picture,” she said, realizing she stepped into something a lot bigger than she once thought. _What happened_ , she wondered. She shook it off and realized, he would come to her when he was ready.

Shortly after they ate Roy left, leaving Felicity to shower and get ready to start a boring day of job searching. Over an hour later she sat on the couch with her computer on her lap and started her search. She groaned when she realized she was probably expected to show up tonight at the foundry.

 _I’ll lie and say I’m sick_ , she decided. _No way will I be able to be in the same room with Oliver today, without absolutely dying of embarrassment,_ she thought, admittedly being a tad bit dramatic.

 

 


	5. Stay or Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter takes place two days after the movie night. Felicity comes back to the foundry for the first time since they cuddled (hehe) and some fun and cute banter between Felicity, Oliver, Dig and Roy. Also, we finally see a little of Laurel and our favorite white haired female villain on Arrow is mentioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All mistakes are my own - no beta. As always, I do not own Arrow. 
> 
> I was having a hard time writing this chapter, but hopefully it's good... Let me know in the comments!

**May 18th 2014**

**Foundry – 9 pm**

The familiar clanging of steel repeatedly sounded throughout the foundry. Oliver’s heart was pounding. He took steady breaths as he moved up and down the salmon ladder. His muscles were burning from the effort. He had been working out for the past hour to work off his frustration.

It had been two days since he went over to Felicity’s apartment, for the first time ever, to watch her favorite television show and a couple of Harry Potter movies with her and Roy. Since that night he hadn’t heard from Felicity, which was starting to worry him. When Roy arrived at the foundry last night for work he barely looked at Oliver when he said Felicity was too sick to come in. From Roy’s expression, he guessed that Felicity either remembered what happened or that Roy had told her. He internally groaned at the awkward situation he created when he made the impulsive decision to cuddle with her. He didn’t regret the night, but from Felicity’s absence he wondered if she did. Hence, his frustration.

He thought back to the night, revisiting his memories, trying to decipher what Felicity might be thinking.

After Sara left that day, he thought about what she’d said. After hours of working through everything, he decided he needed to hear her voice and then he would go from there. When he made the call, he felt panicky and his hands started getting clammy. It was an odd sensation for him, he wasn’t used to feeling nervous around women. It’s not like he didn’t have plenty of experience, but apparently when Felicity was involved that didn’t matter. The last time he felt anything like this was when he came home from the island and asked out a girl – he was out of practice then – but even so, this was different. He was already in love with Felicity. Yet, he went over to her place thinking that it would be a night with friends – nothing more - where they spend some time together outside of a work situation. However, that wasn’t really what happened. When he got to her apartment he was incredibly nervous, but as soon as Felicity began babbling about not having food in the fridge for whatever reason he began to relax. Shortly after, he sat on the love seat, thankful that he didn’t have to sit next to Felicity because he didn’t know how long he would have been able to control himself, and started to drink his beer and eat a piece of pizza. Oliver glanced around her place, taking in all of the small details, while Felicity went to the bathroom before they started the marathon.

He smiled to himself as he continued his workout. He wasn’t lying when he told her he loved it because it reminded him of her.

He told himself that he would go back to the love seat as soon as he finished eating ice cream, but he knew he was lying to himself. As soon as he sat down next to the bubbly blonde, who already had red cheeks from drinking wine, and felt what it was like to be close to her, he never wanted to leave. At first his body was ridged and tense at being near her. For almost two years he had forced himself to keep his physical distance from her, despite the fact that he had fallen for her long ago. He told himself, a short touch on the arm or her shoulder when she was upset was okay, but anything more was unacceptable. Feeling her body heat so close to his was unnerving after forcing himself to keep his distance from her for so long. After a little while, he tested the waters by placing his hand on her shoulder, her bare skin calling to him. He gently rubbed his fingertips in small circles there, enjoying the sensation. When she cuddled into his chest he glanced down to see her beautiful face nestled against his body. The sight took his breath away. He wanted to brush her hair out of her eyes, to caress her cheek, to fix her glasses but he wondered if that would go over badly, so he didn’t.

When Felicity had fallen asleep cuddled up against him, he couldn’t have felt happier or more content. After all of the terrible things he had seen and done recently, the reprieve was a breath of fresh air. It made him feel alive for the first time in years. She turned her head towards his chest, seeking his warmth in her sleep, her chest rising and falling steadily. He smiled when he gazed at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked completely comfortable and safe in his arms. He lifted her a few inches so he could scooted down on the couch a little, hoping to avoid her waking up in pain from being at such an awkward angle for too long. As he re-positioned her against his chest, he drifted his arm around her waist, resting his hand on her hip. He lightly pushed a few strands of her blonde locks out of her eyes and took her glasses off slowly as to not wake her, and then settled in to finish watching the movie.

When his eyes drifted downward, his chest tightened in desire. It hadn’t escape his attention earlier that she wasn’t wearing a bra or that her nipples had become erect when they were staring into each other’s eyes. But when she was laying down in a loose-fitting t-shirt, he could see more of her naked flesh than he’d ever seen before. Seconds later he tore his gaze away, feeling that he was somehow invading her personal space. They weren’t a couple or even dating – he had no right to peer at her like that, especially when she was drunk and exhausted. Yet, the moment he saw her chest, he had to restrain himself from passionately laying her down on the couch and climbing on top of her. He desperately wanted to slide her shirt off and take his time exploring her flesh: kneading her breasts with his hands, his mouth, his tongue. He suddenly heard a quiet moan escape Felicity’s lips when she grasped his shirt lightly with her right hand sleepily. At the time he had to close his eyes to compose himself, grinding his teeth. It was the best noise he had ever heard, he wanted to make her moan, even scream in pleasure, but they were only friends and she was drunk. It was wrong, so he stopped himself. Roy being in the room helped considerably, but he would have liked nothing more than to growl at the kid to leave.

A little while later, she was startled from her rest during an action scene, so he whispered to her and told her to go back to sleep. After a few repeated promises that everything was okay, she nodded off again. As her eyelids closed, he watched her fall sleep curled up against him, her arms wrapped around him tightly as if she was trying to bring him closer to her. He felt a warmth in his being at the sight that he had never truly experienced. It’s true, he had loved Laurel and he deeply cared for Sara when he was with her, but he never felt this way about someone. It was overwhelming. He hesitantly reached out and caressed her cheek and she reacted to his touch immediately, nuzzling his hand. He suddenly and without thinking bent down and kissed her forehead softly, more for himself than her, but he wasn’t hiding it from her or Roy. He knew she was momentarily awake, but he needed to remind himself that she really was there with him. It wasn’t sensual or filled with passion, it was a soft peck. It was one of endearment, of love. It was all he was capable of that night, but he thought it expressed how he felt. He hoped Felicity would remember because he wanted it to happen again. He wanted it to happen every day for the rest of his life – whether it be a short time or a long life, he wanted everything to happen with her by his side.

When she babbled about having sex with him on her kitchen island, it was the most overt comment she’d ever said. He knew if she wasn’t over tired or buzzed that she wouldn’t have said it out loud, but it killed him anyway. While Felicity walked to her bedroom, he forced himself to stay seated so he gripped the edges of the chair with his hands tightly. In a flash, he imagined all of the ways he would have made love to her that night. He would have happily sat her on the kitchen counter and taken off her clothes, savoring every moment, before tasting her and feeling her legs wrapped around his head. He considered running into Felicity’s bedroom after her and kissing her passionately. He would have emphatically laid her down on the bed and slowly kissed every inch of her, making her moan as he went. He might have picked her up and massaged her ass. He could have pushed her up against the wall in a frenzy of passion and roughly made love to her. Many more thoughts and images had passed through Oliver’s mind quickly as Felicity walked into her bedroom and closed her door, leaving him alone in the semi-darkness of her kitchen. He left her apartment shortly after wondering what could have happened if on the island he had simply told her the truth.

His arms and abdominal muscles were burning sharply when he was startled out of his daydreaming by someone knocking on the foundry door. He froze on the spot as he hung in the air by his arm. He jumped down and grabbed a towel to dry off before he walked up the stairs. He hesitated for a moment when he heard a woman huff in annoyance on the other side of the door.

“Ollie, it’s me! Let me in!”

At the familiar voice, he swiftly opened the door and found Laurel standing there. She walked by him immediately and continued down the stairs. He followed after her curiously. When he reached the bottom step he stopped dead in his tracks. Laurel was standing in the foundry looking quite uncomfortable while holding a folder against her chest. “Hi Laurel. Do you need something?” he asked, unsure of what to make of her posture.

“Hi,” she said softly, “How are you, Ollie?” He was taken aback by the shyness of her voice. She rarely acted that way with anyone and it had been years since she’d been that way with him – not since they began dating.

“I’m fine,” he said shortly. She stepped back and bit her lip at his response. “I’m sorry, Laurel. It’s just a lot to handle still,” he added while grimacing at his behavior.

“I’m sure,” she agreed, nodding, “Slade is in prison now, right?” Laurel sounded nervous. He took a step towards her.

“Yes, he won’t get to anyone else ever again,” he said determinedly, trying to reassure her of her safety. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She smiled softly at him. “Yes. I’ll be fine. I’ve been kidnapped before, remember Arrow?” she added teasingly. She furrowed her brow at her ex. “How is Felicity?” She swallowed at his reaction.

When he spoke, his voice was slightly raw, “She’s been kidnapped before too. She’ll be okay though. She’s strong.”

Laurel watched him closely and nodded deliberately. “Good. I’m glad,” she added quietly. After a moment she muttered, “I didn’t realize you were a couple.”

His chest tightened. He toweled off some sweat to give him a momentary distraction. When he looked up at Laurel he said, “We aren’t exactly a couple.” His eyebrows furrowed in tension when he added, “But maybe someday.”

She held her folder even more tightly to her chest. “Do you love her?” she asked, void of emotion.

He glanced at her intently. “Yes,” he murmured, feeling embarrassed under her watchful and observant gaze. He cleared his throat and motioned to the folder. “I’m guessing Felicity isn’t the reason you came here though,” he mentioned casually to change conversations.

“Um, yeah.” Laurel handed him a folder. “I actually need your help,” she said. He opened the folder and glanced at the contents. “During Slade’s attack, some convicts got out of Iron Heights including the one and only China White. The police force is completely swamped right now with the cleanup, but the longer she is out, the more damage she can cause. I was hoping you could find her.” She pointed to the file and added, “This is all of the information I could find, but you’ll need Felicity to find her – she seems to be off the grid.”

“I’ll have her look into it,” Oliver said matter-of-factly.

Suddenly they both look up to see Felicity, Roy and Dig opening the door to walk into the foundry.

“Roy, stop it! I really don’t like being called Blonde and you know it. I’m not a _Barbie_ ,” Felicity said with half-heartedly as they walked down the stairs.

He huffed in annoyance and said, “Well stop dressing like one.”

She glared at Roy angrily. “ _Never_ tell me how to dress Harper,” she whispered violently.

The three of them stopped when they noticed Oliver and Laurel standing closely to one another nearby.

“Hi,” Laurel said uncomfortably – clearly not used to Oliver’s team dynamic. She smiled at them all and added, “Solid advice by the way. You should never tell a woman how to dress. It’s a tad sexist.”

“Thank you!” Felicity said while throwing up her hands in the air astounded by Roy’s comment.

Laurel smiled at the blonde woman. “No problem,” she said.

Roy muttered to himself quietly and walked away after greeting Laurel. Dig looked between Laurel, Oliver and Felicity, and with a tight smile on his face, he acknowledged the brunette and then walked away as well.

Felicity put her bag down, avoiding Oliver’s gaze, and said, “What’s in the folder?”

Her business-like tone confused Oliver, but he quickly shook it off and told the team about China White’s escape and their plan to take her in. Felicity took the file from Oliver and started up her computer to begin some research on the woman and her possible location.

“Are you sure she isn’t in Starling City or in California in general?” she asked, distractedly as she pounded away at her keyboard.

Laurel walked over to her. “No. I’m not sure. I asked my dad to do a basic search, but he didn’t have a ton of resources. The police stations are pretty much destroyed,” she said casually.

Felicity nodded. “Okay. It will probably take at least a few hours to find her using any of my databases or algorithms, but hopefully we’ll have Ms. White in a day or so,” she said hopefully.

Laurel seemed content with their plan as she spoke to Felicity. Oliver watched them from a distance feeling conflicted. He wanted to be with Felicity, but she was blatantly ignoring him and Laurel had seemed to take the news well. He wasn’t in love with Laurel anymore, but it was still odd to see. Laurel left the foundry shortly after. Not long after her, Roy, Oliver and Diggle left the foundry in their masks to survey the streets while Felicity stayed by the computers on coms.

Oliver and Dig were currently on a couple of rooftops trying to decide where the next drug deal was going to go down. Roy had gone off in a different direction in case the drug dealer they were trying to catch went to his other usual spot. They were waiting mostly in stilled silence, but there was only so long Felicity could go without speaking.

“I blame Isabelle for this,” she muttered under her breath distractedly – most likely oblivious to the fact that they could hear her.

Dig chuckled lightly. “Felicity, what are you blaming Isabelle for this time?” he said, baiting her.

She sighed loudly. “Why do I always talk to myself out loud? Why couldn’t I be a normal person and just _think_ it,” she said, frustration evident in her tone. She said, “If she hadn’t fired all of us – and you know be an evil b-ish - I’d be happily working at Queen Consolidated right now instead of looking for a job… Did you know that there are absolutely no good jobs available in Starling that I’m qualified for?” She mumbled to herself softly and then continued speaking louder, so they could hear her. “After spending _hours_ looking for positions, I could only find a few places to send my resume. Only _one_ responded. I have an interview with Tech Village – yes, I said _Tech Village_ – on Wednesday. Do you have any idea what their uniforms look like? Do you, Dig?” she said exasperated.

Oliver and Dig smirked at each other and were holding back laughter at her obvious disgust with her job possibility at Tech Village. Dig cleared his throat and responded, “No. I don’t know if I’ve been to a tech village.”

Felicity groaned dramatically before she started blabbering again. She said, “You have no idea, Dig. They are horrible. You have to wear unflattering blue collared shirts and tan khakis. Like who in their right mind would still wear tan khakis? Well, really old white guys who play golf and maybe rich kids I guess. I mean the preppy white boys at MIT did, but isn’t that a requirement sometimes at clubs or for events? I don’t know. Oliver, you grew up rich and played golf… Do people really wear khakis?” He was taken aback slightly. It was the first time all night that she had directly spoken to him. “Oliver,” she asked slightly concerned, “Are you okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine.” He smiled at her question and said, “Yes, sometimes khakis are enforced for a dress code, but a lot of men do wear them.” He thought for a moment, his brow furrowing under his mask. “Most women don’t though,” he added eventually.

She whined, _“I know_ … It should be a crime.” She drifted off for a moment but he could hear the smile in her voice when she added, “Then you could break into the boss’s office and scare the living daylights out of him until he changed the uniforms.”

“Felicity, you know I can’t do that,” he said disapprovingly, although feeling slightly amused.

“I know,” she said sadly.

 

Hours later, after catching the drug dealer and waiting for Lance’s men to show up, the group of vigilantes were back in the foundry. Felicity scoffed at Oliver’s look of irritation, “No. I can’t find China White. She certainly isn’t in Starling or if she is, she’s hiding incredibly well. Maybe somewhere underground.”

“Did you check every - ?” he began to ask, unconvinced.

“ _Oliver_ ,” she added a little impatiently, cutting him off. “Yes, of course I did. I can write another algorithm, but there is no way we will know for sure whether she is still in Starling City before tomorrow – It might even take a few days.”

“Okay. Fine – how long will it take to write the algorithm?” he asked.

Felicity sighed. It was already almost midnight. “Hours,” she said finally.

“Okay. Get to work.”

As Felicity turned around in her chair to get back to work, Dig’s voice interrupted their thoughts. “Before you do that – Felicity and Roy I have something to tell you both,” John said. Diggle smiled at them happily, his eyes twinkling oddly for him. “Lyla’s pregnant.”

Felicity gasped loudly and jumped up immediately. “Dig that’s wonderful news!” she said as she ran and gave him a hug.

Roy looked impish when he said, “Wow, you knocked her up…”

“How far along is she?” Felicity asked enthusiastically, ignoring Roy’s commentary.

“Around three months,” he said, as his grin grew three sizes. Anyone could sense his excitement and nerves at the announcement. Felicity kissed him on the cheek and muttered congratulations to him, her arms still wrapped around his large torso. He smiled at her and laughed, “Thank you both. Speaking of Lyla, I should really go.”

“Yes. Yes, of course! Go be with your baby mama,” Felicity said excitedly.

“I should go to,” Roy said. “I’ll walk out with you, John.”

Dig nodded in agreement. Unexpectedly, John looked at his phone and grimaced. He glanced at Felicity and asked, “Is there somewhere still open where I can get saltines and ginger ale for Lyla?”

“Yep. The drug store on the corner of 4th and Culver is open twenty-four hours a day,” Felicity said after some thought. “I guess it’s not just morning sickness, huh?” she asked, quietly.

“No. Apparently she’s been throwing up a lot, but she hid it from me for a few weeks,” he said grimacing.

“ick,” Felicity muttered before going back to work. “Congratulate Lyla for me!” she said as Dig and Roy walked out.

Oliver left Felicity to her own devices for a while since he knew she needed to focus. He went and got changed into sweatpants, not bothering with a shirt, and decided to work out for a little while. He tensed his jaw, his teeth grinding from the effort as he tensed his muscles and continued doing a third set of planks. _1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6_ …

“Wait, Oliver, you didn’t congratulate Dig?” she suddenly said, quite loudly.

He gritted through the pain, “What?” he asked, mid movement.

She turned around to make eye contact with him. She squinted at him in thought. “You knew, didn’t you?” she asked slowly.

He dropped to the ground and took a deep breath before sitting up to talk to Felicity. “He told me a few days ago,” he said.

“Oh! When did you find out?” she asked curiously. He smiled at her and laughed. “What?” she asked.

“You always have a question,” he muttered, amused. “He found out during Slade’s invasion. Actually, Waller told him at gunpoint. He told me later that night.” He tilted his head at Felicity, trying to gauge her reaction.

“You’ve never said, but you have a past with Waller and ARGUS, don’t you?” she asked quietly.

Oliver was thrown off guard, not expecting that conversation. He leaned back against his hands on the mat and nodded. He carefully chose his words when he told her, “Yes. I worked for Waller after the island for a while.”

Felicity looked unaffected. “I thought so... Once I knew that you knew how to fly a plane I figured it was probably ARGUS,” she said. He knew she was observant, but that connection surprised him. “You hate her,” she said, unquestioningly.

He frowned, “Yes. I do.”

She nodded in acceptance. “I hope Lyla doesn’t turn out like her,” she said, looking into the distance.

He stood up and walked over to her. He put his hand on her arm and reassuringly said, “Lyla is smart and kind, she is everything Waller isn’t. She’ll be fine.”

Felicity smiled at him hesitantly, “Good.”

He smiled back at her. “I’ve been thinking,” he said softly, “Would you like to learn some basic self-defense and weapons training?”

Felicity looked dumbfounded. “Where is this coming from?” she asked startled and confused. He shrugged embarrassed. “Oh god Sara told you to train me, didn’t she?” she asked, her eyes growing wide in fear or shock, he wasn’t sure.

“You’ve been asking me long enough and after you were kidnapped by Slade, I thought it was a good idea to make sure you could at least punch effectively without breaking your thumb,” he said smiling at her, his eyes conveying a sense of sorrow and hopelessness.

“Yes!” she said quickly. He laughed in surprise by her loud agreement.

“Okay. We start in two days. Meet me here at 8 am every morning.”

“Oh wow, you’re not kidding… Okay. Sounds good.” She turned around to start working again, but changed her mind. “Thank you,” she said softly.

He nodded. His chest began to feel tight. “Felicity, we should talk,” he said gently.

She froze, her hands hovering lightly above the keyboard. She turned to look at him, confusion etched her features. “What is there to talk about?” she asked, her eyebrows raised in question.

“You know,” he said softly.

“No. Oliver, I don’t,” she added.

“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?” he asked, frustrated.

She scoffed and brushed it off. “No, we have nothing to talk about because there is nothing between us. You’ve made it clear you don’t have feelings for me,” she said avoiding his eyes.

“Felicity –,” he said, pained at her empty expression. He knew his approach, his avoidance of his feelings, the other day hurt her, but he didn’t realize to the extent until right now. She raised a hand to stop him.

“No, Oliver. It was late. We were both emotional and tired after everything that happened that week. I fell asleep, that’s all. We never have to speak of it again,” she said definitively.

His breath was knocked out of him like a punch to the gut. “Felicity,” he whispered desperately.

Felicity shook her head and suddenly said, “I should go and get some sleep. Keep the computers on, they’re still working.”

He didn’t know what to say, so he stood there speechless as he watched her walk out of the foundry. Never in his life had he met a woman like Felicity, who could so effortlessly rebuke his efforts. Dating was always easy for him. Sure, the relationship part was hard and he used to suck at it, but most women were happy to go out with him.


	6. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mainly a Felicity and Barry Allen chapter, but a little Team Arrow too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I don't own Arrow or any of the DCU sadly. I'd be really rich... 
> 
> I might get another chapter done this week, but I'll be going away on vacation soon, so I'm not sure when I'll get back to writing.

**May 19th 2014**

**Felicity's Apartment**

Felicity groaned loudly and gripped her soft white sheets in her hands tightly. After quickly closing her eyes again, she pulled them up immediately to cover her face. Once again, she had forgotten to close her bedroom curtains before falling asleep the night before. She took a deep breath and braved the light. While blinking rapidly against the annoyance, she felt around her bedside table until she found her glasses. She slipped them on and checked her phone for any updates or emergencies. Most people, most likely didn’t wake up every morning worrying about the possibility of some catastrophic event occurring in the dead of night, but she did. She long ago realized it was a daily hazard of working for a masked vigilante who happened to piss a lot of people off.

When she finished searching for any alerts, emails, calls or texts from anyone, she got out of bed slowly and turned on the coffee maker. She went about her usual routine but a bit slower than usual. After all, she didn’t have a job yet and wouldn’t be expected at verdant until that night. For once she could have a lazy and relaxing day, or at least that’s what she thought. Once the coffee maker was finished making the annoyingly loud noise and the pot was full, she poured herself some and sat down at the island to eat her bagel and drink the hot yummy liquid. Once she finished eating and reading the local news, she decided to take a bath. I mean why not? She had the time.

She casually made her way to the bathroom and lit some citrus candles that were placed near the tub. She drew a bath and added some Epsom salts before she stripped out of her pajamas and got into the warm water. She sunk into the tub, letting the lovely sensations wash over her limbs and sooth her tense muscles. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. “I need to make more time for bathes,” she muttered to herself happily.

She laid there for some time, enjoying the rare change to truly relax. Once Slade appeared in Starling City, Felicity had barely slept or eaten because she was so worried and stressed about Oliver. She hid it well, but it took its toll. The week that followed Slade’s imprisonment while not a life or death situation, was still constantly frustrating.

Felicity thought back to her conversation with Oliver last night. Oliver was confusing her substantially with his back and forth attitude about them, but she decided it was too risky. She chose to pretend she was fine because if he had changed his mind, it would have broken her heart. Too many times he tried to push her away. She couldn’t easily forget it. Although she could admit to herself that she loved Oliver, she was unwilling to give away her heart to an unsure man who could so easily break it. She refused to be a damsel in distress or the woman crying in the corner asking why a man wouldn’t love her. She was never that woman before and that wasn’t going to change. If Oliver really wanted to be with her, then he would have to ask her out and prove it to her, but she refused to plead.

She was ripped from her thoughts at the sound of Beyoncé’s booming voice; _But Don’t think I’m just his little wife. Don’t get it twisted, get it twisted. This my shit, bow down bitches. Bow Down…_ She whined a little and wanted to sink into the tub forever. Instead, she leaned over the tub and grabbed her phone. She sighed and muttered a “Hello” into the phone. “What’s up?” she asked as she closed her eyes and tried hard to keep her phone dry.

“Hi, Felicity. How are you?”

She smiled at his oddly happy attitude considering the shitty situation he was in. “I’m okay, but I’d be much better, Barry, if you stopped hacking into my phone and changing my ring tones,” she said half-heartedly to her friend. She rolled her eyes at his silent response and lifted her legs lightly to stretch them. “Did you need something?” she mumbled still feeling slightly dazed.

“Are you taking a bath?” he asked, his voice went up an octave.

She snorted and said innocently, “No, why?”

“Felicity, you are either in a pool or a bath and my guess is a bath. You’re not one to swim often,” he said unamused.

“ _Fine._ I am, but wouldn’t you rather I answer my phone than ignore you? Even when you do change my ring tone... At least this time it wasn’t something embarrassing,” she said, shrugging off the uncomfortableness of the situation.

Barry chuckled lightly before he muttered, “Come on Baby Got Back is a funny song. Who cares if your interviewer heard it?”

“Men,” she said unconvinced. “You do realize it’s really hard to be taken seriously as a woman in the tech world, right? Hearing a song about loving big asses does _not_ help.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t want the job anyway,” she said unfazed. She liked to tease Barry, but he never meant harm.

“Do you want to hang out today?”

She opened her eyes at his tone, knowing there was more to the conversation. “You wanna get out of Central City, I guess?” she asked curiously.

He sighed heavily. “Did you hear about what happened here?” he asked quietly. She could barely hear him and she swiftly realized why.

“Yeah. I’m sorry about Ronnie and Eddie and the whole situation. Cisco called me the other day – he figured you might not want to talk about it,” she added hesitantly. She wasn’t sure how he was handling the deaths of those close to him and Iris’s fiancée.

“Yea,” he croaked out, “Me too.”

She felt her heart break for the man and suddenly found herself saying, “Yeah, come on up today. I have free time and I could use the company.” She bit her lip lightly and added, “I’m always here to talk – you know that, right?”

“I know, thanks… I can speed over in a few hours, does that work for you?” he asked, sounding slightly happier.

“Sure, that sounds good. Now let me enjoy my bath a little longer,” she whined.

He laughed. “Okay great because it’s really weird talking to you when I know you’re naked – not that I was thinking about it,” he said quickly.

She blushed. “See you soon,” she said right before hanging up the phone.

 

Four hours later, Felicity and Barry were hanging out at a local café. Felicity was eating a salad to offset the ridiculous number of burgers, sushi and Thai food she had been recently consuming. Barry was drinking a massive milk shake and eating a large sandwich, chill cheese fries and onion rings. She wanted to kill him as she watched him devour the food she so desperately wanted to eat.

“It’s not fair you can eat _anything_ and still have a six pack,” she said while chewing on some quinoa and lettuce.

Barry smirked at her and moved his eyebrows teasingly. “Really?” he mocked, “How do you know I have a six pack?”

She took a sip of her water and shrugged. Once she swallowed she said, “Caitlyn told me you woke up with it. I assume it didn’t go away. How is Iris?” she asked casually.

Barry sighed and looked off into the distance. He eventually quietly said, “Not well. She’s devastated by Eddie’s death.”

“Yeah,” Felicity agreed sadly, “I’m sure. Even if she says she doesn’t need it, make sure you’re there for her.”

Barry nodded, his eyes glazed over in serious thought. “I would never abandon her.”

She smiled at his sincerity. “I know,” she admitted to her friend. “She’ll need you now more than ever,” she said softly. “Losing your boyfriend, fiancée or whatever is always hard,” she whispered. She cleared her throat and closed off all thoughts of her dead ex-boyfriend. “So why do you have to eat so much?” she asked, trying to change the topic.

“Basically, my body digests calories a lot faster so I need more.” He glanced up at her and smiled softly. “The muscles and ability to eat are benefits, but not being able to get drunk kinda kills it.” She gaped at him. “What?” he asked confusion crossing his features.

“You can’t get drunk?” she asked amazed.

Barry nodded. “Yep. I can’t even feel buzzed for more than a second,” he added sadly, “which sucks.”

Felicity huffed in disagreement. “Maybe for you, but apparently, I do stupid shit when I’m drunk,” she muttered to herself.

“What did you do?” Barry glanced at her suspiciously.

She hid her face and whined softly. “It was bad,” she said, barely above a whisper.

“Please, Felicity. It’s you – you couldn’t have done anything _that_ bad,” he told her, clearly unconvinced.

She glared at him and with wide eyes blinking she said, “Really? What if I told you I cuddled with Oliver while drunk and then told him I wanted to fuck him on my kitchen counter. Does that count, Barry? Does it?”

Barry spit out his water abruptly, it went everywhere on the table. He quickly grabbed some napkins to wipe up the mess, but glanced at her as soon as he was done. He bit his lips trying not to smile. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that… How did that go over with dear ol’ Oliver?” he asked, biting back a laugh.

“Barry! This is not funny! It was a catastrophe. Sure, it isn’t deathly serious, but oh my god how stupid could I be,” she said exasperated.

Barry smirked at her. “Oh, my Felicity Smoak, I can’t imagine a man on this planet would call you stupid for saying that. I imagine he probably liked the comment.”

Felicity face palmed her forehead and leaned against the table. She mumbled, “Roy was there. He said Oliver looked like he was ready to make it come true.”

Barry cleared his throat. “Um… Did you, you know?” he asked.

Her eyes widened. “No, I was drunk and acting foolish, but I didn’t lose all reason,” she scoffed at herself. “The day before he basically told me he didn’t love me, even if it was a lie – and it was a shitty lie I might add – he turned me down.”

“Oh, come on. Oliver clearly loves you, Felicity. Even though he thinks he won’t get the girl, he’s just acting like an idiot.”

“Wait why do you think he ‘won’t get the girl’?” she asked.

“What?” he asked, startled. “I didn’t say that,” he insisted.

“Barry Allen, what did he tell you?” she demanded.

He grimaced and said, “Earlier this year he told me that ‘guys like us don’t get the girl.” At the look of horror on her face he awkwardly smiled and continued speaking, “he was trying to convince me to move on from Iris.”

“Why would he think that?” she asked, feeling utterly confused.

Barry shook his head. “I honestly have no idea. From what I’ve seen and read the heroes tend to get the girl,” he said lightly before eating some fries.

“Of course, heroes have girlfriends,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Maybe you should try making him jealous,” he said offhandedly.

“Huh,” she said deep in thought. She smiled at him deviously, “I have an idea,” she muttered.

He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “No,” he said, shaking his head feverishly, “I have a feeling I won’t like this plan.”

She lightly slapped him on the shoulder. “ _Please,_ you’re fast. You could always outrun him,” she said coyly.

“Felicity – ,” Barry said.

“Barry,” she teased, her eyes glittering with mirth. “You want some fun, right?” she asked.

“I’m not sure that kind of fun sounds good.”

“Did you bring your suit?”

 

**Verdant - 8 pm**

Later that day, Felicity was dressed up in high heels and a skin-tight navy-blue dress with a cut out in the back. She had her hair down and contacts in to finish off the look. She looked gorgeous and she wasn’t being conceded. From the look on Barry’s face when she walked out of her bedroom and from the way many men’s eyes seemed to pop out of their skulls at the sight of her, she believed it was a logical conclusion that she looked good. _Perfect_ , she thought to herself.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea, Felicity,” Barry said nervously.

She rolled her eyes at the tone in his voice. “He won’t shoot you again, stop worrying,” she said distractedly. “Come on, let’s go.”

“You know, it’s a little creepy how unaffected you are hearing that Oliver shot someone,” he muttered quietly.

She pretended to not hear his comment and grabbed his hand, pulling him with her down to the foundry. Once they reached the lower steps Felicity noticed Oliver was no-where to be found and was slightly disappointed with the news. She wanted to see the look on his face when she walked down the stairs with Barry. Instead, John stood before her in his usual jeans and a black t-shirt with an amused grin on his face as he glanced between her and Barry, who were still holding hands. She quickly pulled her hand away and walked to her desk. “Hi, Dig.”

“Hi Felicity, how’s your night been?” he asked, clearly amused. “Barry,” he said, gesturing towards the man.

Barry smiled tightly and waved, “Hi.”

“It’s been good,” she said avoiding his knowing eyes. _Damn that man_ , she thought. _How does he know everything?_

He nodded and crossed his arms and casually said, “I didn’t know you were in town.”

Barry smiled at the friendly, if amused, man and answered, “It was a last-minute trip. I’ve spent the day with Felicity.”

“Sounds fun,” he said shortly.

Felicity cleared her throat and tried to casually fiddle with her hair, even though she was incredible nervous. What is it about Dig that always made her feel like he could see right through her? He had to say little, but she always knew he knew. “Where is everyone else?”

“Oliver went out with Laurel. He should be back soon. Roy should be here in an hour.”

Felicity felt a spike of jealousy peak in her at the thought of Oliver being out with Laurel. She logically knew they were friends, but it still made her uncomfortable. “Okay.”

“I thought maybe I could come out with you all tonight – I brought my suit and everything,” Barry offered politely.

Dig smiled at the man, “Sure. We could always use the assist, even if Oliver won’t admit it.”

“Felicity, Oliver told me you want to start training,” he asked, leaning against the table next to her.

Felicity looked up and bit her lip. “I thought it would be a good idea to know how to defend myself,” she muttered uncomfortable.

Dig smiled and nodded. “I wanted to train you last year and we started, but things got busy and I think I forgot. I’m sorry. Oliver, thought it would be a good idea to have me teach you to shoot. Would you like that?”

She grinned at him wide, “I hate guns, but yes I’d like that. I should know how to shoot incase a situation arises.”

He nodded. “We’re in agreement. Tomorrow afternoon?”

She grimaced. “I have training with Oliver in the morning already, but okay,” she relented.

“I hate guns too,” Barry agreed.

Felicity glared at him. “Yes, Barry but you have super powers. You don’t need a weapon.”

He shrugged and muttered, “Good point.” He pointed to his bag. “Where can I change?”

“The bathroom is over there,” she said casually pointing to door.

Felicity got to work typing away on her keyboard. Like every night, she checked for alerts of criminal activity, listened to the police radar, and she checked her working algorithms that helped them find such criminals. Barry and Dig quickly got into a sparring match, which would have been hilarious to watch if she didn’t have work to do. Dig really couldn’t get used to his speed. She was deep in thought, her eyes roaming the screens swiftly when the door opened and Oliver and Roy walked down the stairs. She heard footsteps stop on the stairs and she knew at that moment that Oliver had seen Barry. She internally groaned at her idiotic idea to try and make him jealous. She turned around slowly, smiling almost guiltily at them both.

Oliver looked confused and an expression of hurt was vaguely visible in his eyes, but he shut it down immediately. “Hi Felicity. I didn’t realize Barry was in town,” he said, his jaw tightened when he noticed her wardrobe choice.

“Hi, Oliver!” Barry yelled in between dodging Dig’s blows.

Felicity held back a smile at the look of evident jealousy on Oliver’s face and Barry’s distracted happiness. “He came today to hang out with me – I figured Team Arrow could use an extra hand tonight.” She softened her voice to a whisper, “He wanted to get out of Central City after the singularity,” she added to avoid people overhearing.

He nodded in understanding and they locked eyes for a moment. She lost all track of thought as her heart skipped a beat from the intensity of his eyes. “You like nice,” he said evenly.

The corner of her mouth turned up into a smirk, “Thank you,” she said happily. “How’s Laurel?” Felicity asked.

His demeaner changed when she uttered his ex’s name. He put his hands in his pockets. “She’s okay.” Her eyebrows raised at the evasive answer, but she let it go. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it. “How’s Barry?”

She rolled her eyes at the man and decided she didn’t want to play games. “He’s okay, not great since some of his friends died, but okay I guess… We weren’t on a date F-Y-I,” she muttered avoiding his gaze, so she glared at the computer screens instead. He didn’t say anything but he walked closer to her and placed a hand on the back of her chair like he usually did, so she assumed he accepted her explanation – even though she didn’t need to give him one, but that was another issue.

“How’s the search for China White going?” he asked casually.

She sighed. “Not good. She’s definitely not in Starling. She might not even be in the U.S!”

“Okay. Well, keep looking and maybe one of these days we’ll get a hit,” he said before going into business mode.

He walked over to the other men and started a sparring session with Barry and Roy. She watched them once in a while and noticed that Oliver seemed to be punching Barry a little harder than Roy. At the association she rolled her eyes and shrugged.

 _At least he isn’t pointing an arrow at the man,_ she thought content with the situation.

 


	7. Aftermath Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was going to skip forward to the next day, but decided against it. It's a short chapter, but a meaningful conversation between Oliver and Barry.

**May 19th 2014**

**Foundry –**

 

“Barry, are you coming?” Felicity inquired as she focused on gathering her things.

He looked between Oliver and Felicity and decided without much effort. “I think I’ll stay a bit longer,” he answered evenly to the group.

She stopped what she was doing and approached Barry to give him a quick peck on the cheek. She rubbed off the lipstick mark with her thumb and smiled sadly. “Okay. I’ll stay up to let you in if you still want to stay over.” He nodded at her and placed a semi-genuine grin on his face when his heart felt heavy.

She patted him on the chest lightly. “Okay, then. I’m leaving. Bye boys!” she chimed enthusiastically before picking up her handbag and walking out of the foundry light on her feet. Her heels left an echo of clicking in her wake.

Once the door was closed tight Barry crossed his arms and licked his lips nervously. 

Oliver turned his head to glance at him at the same time as his posture became defensive. “You’re staying with Felicity?” he hissed.

Barry sensed the danger, thinking the man might pounce on him any moment, and put his hands up as a sign of surrender.

“Woo, man. I’m staying on her couch… Jealous much?” he replied apprehensively. The room went silent for a moment and then he crossed her arms against his chest again. “You can relax, Oliver. I’m not interested in Felicity like that. She knows I’m in love with Iris – that won’t change,” he said dismissively.

Oliver nodded coolly, relaxing slightly. “I'm sorry. I might have overreacted," he muttered while averting Barry's gaze.

"Ya think?" Barry mumbled. He understood Oliver's jealousy. He'd certainly felt it while watching Iris and Eddie, but come on. Even Barry realized the man needed to either make a move or move on, and that's saying something. 

I’m sorry about Eddie and Ronnie,” Oliver abruptly stated.

He sighed loudly, letting the heaviness wash over him for the first time since getting to Starling City. Oliver glanced at Barry curiously, clearly waiting for a response.

“Yeah, me too,” he croaked out. “It wasn’t _just_ them though… Other people died too.”

Oliver’s lips tightening into a thin line, his eyebrows furrowing in thought.

“I recognize that expression – it’s the same one Felicity points out to me all the time. You know the whole ‘guilt ridden – everything is my fault’ look…” He smirked to himself deep in thought about the blonde, or at least that's what Barry assumed. He swiftly crossed the vast distance and stood next to Barry to gather his full attention. “It wasn’t your fault,” he added, seriously.

Barry diverted his eyes and swallowed. He bit the inside of his mouth, the pain numbing his thoughts and feelings.

“I’m not so sure of that,” he whispered painfully.

Oliver lightly grasped Barry’s forearm in a friendly gesture of support. “Well, I’m sure. I know everything that happened. Cisco told Felicity and she told me. I even fought Thawne with you… It’s _his_ fault. The way he messed with you was twisted. He was willing to do anything to get back to his time and he would have tried to kill you again once he got back to the future. There was no other way… Eddie sacrificed himself for the greater good… He didn’t die because of you and neither did Ronnie. They both fought by your side because they were heroes too. They believed in doing the right thing. In saving people. Whether that be their loved ones or innocent strangers... Barry, it wasn’t your fault and it wasn’t the Flash’s fault either… Sometimes, the depressing reality is that heroes die despite the best efforts of their teams.”

“It’s not that simple.”

Oliver frowned. “I know what it’s like to lose people, but don’t be consumed by it or you’ll end up like me… You’re better than me – you’ve always been a better person than me - don’t lose that.”

“Oliver,” he muttered softly, “ _I didn’t save anyone._ I’m not a hero… Caitlin lost her husband and Iris, she…” He stopped speaking and clenched his jaw, his lips drawing a thin tight line, trying to keep his emotions in check.

The weight of his words hit him at that moment. He couldn’t bare finishing his thought. He’d barely spoken to anyone since the event… It was too much to watch Iris or Caitlin grieve their losses, so he hid from everyone. He hoped that coming to Starling City would help clear his mind, but it just made the loss more evident somehow.

Oliver pursed his lips. “Sometimes being a hero isn’t about taking the fall for others, or at least that’s what Felicity tells me… You went into the black hole too. It’s just that you survived and they didn’t… Survivors guilt is rough. I understand, believe me I do. But just take it a day at a time. That’s all anyone could ask of you right now. Try not to be so hard on yourself.”

Barry felt hollow, but nodded in a silent agreement. He didn’t know if he believed what Oliver said, but he could tell the man meant it. That was worth something, right?

“I’ll try,” he replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think or if you have any questions or interest in certain characters. It's my first fan fiction so I really appreciate all of your comments. :-)


	8. Training Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity begins training with Oliver and Dig and it doesn't exactly go as she expected. 
> 
> This chapter came to me incredibly fast - partly because it's based off of a real experience I had, but anyway... I thought I would finish it now and just post it before I get on a plane tomorrow for a short vacation.

 

 

**May 20 th 2014**

“Dig, where are we going? Why can’t I learn to shoot somewhere closer?” Felicity begged.

For the past 30 minutes they had been traveling down empty dirt roads in between forests. She was starting to feel lost.

Dig chuckled while staring ahead unwaveringly. “I told you we’re going somewhere outside the city where you can shoot a gun freely and where no one will overhear.” He frowned slightly. “How did training go with Oliver? You haven’t said much…”

Felicity looked out the window in thought. “I found out today I’m not exactly a natural athlete,” she muttered.

Dig glanced in her direction briefly. “Was he frustrated or something?”

Felicity rolled her eyes. “Let’s just say, going for a three-mile run at 8 am before the training even began didn’t really work in his favor,” she said softly.

She had arrived at the foundry at 8 am that morning ready to learn. But when Oliver said they were going for a run first, like a three-mile-long run, she was already dreading the morning routine. She had watched Oliver train Roy and spar with Dig and Sara and neither looked fun. For the short time last year that John trained her, it was simple and easy. It wasn’t intense, which is apparently the only way Oliver knew how to train someone. She knew from the beginning that it would be more difficult, but Oliver really knew how to crack the whip. After the long run, he put her through a series of difficult workouts to increase her abdominal and arm strength and then he taught her how to punch properly and block. She had forgotten what John had taught her, so the morning was useful, but holy crap was her body feeling the muscle fatigue and burning sensation now. It would be worth it in the long run, but she knew the hard work would continue.

Thinking of Oliver’s reaction to her ramblings during the workout, she grimaced. “He didn’t find it amusing that I wouldn’t stop talking when he was instructing me.” She shrugged and continued. “He didn’t think I was taking it seriously – I was, I just word vomit when I’m nervous. And well, when he put his hands on my hips, _excuse me_ for not being able to shut up.” She watched Dig out of the corner of her eye. “What?” she inquired.

“How long are you two going to dance around this?”

She sighed and looked away again. “Why don’t you ask him?” she answered shortly. “It’s up to him since he’s basically turned me down multiple times.”

He hummed in agreement and dropped the subject.

Once they got to the location, which was an old barn around a lot of open space, they got out of the car and Felicity followed Dig.

Felicity cracked her knuckles. She asked nervously, “So what do we start with?”

He smiled at her and stopped in front of a small table and stool in the middle of a vast open field. He dropped the large black bag he was carrying onto the ground and took out a gun. He held it out to show her. “This is a rifle. We are going to start with this. There will be minimal kickback if you can rest the barrel on the table. Then once you’re less nervous we’ll use a pistol.”

She listened intently. She hated guns, but she understood their importance and why she needed to learn to comfortably use them.

He nodded to the small wooden table. “Sit there and I’ll help set you up,” he stated, expression turning serious.

She took a deep breath and sat on the uncomfortable stool. She looked up at her friend. “What do I do now?”

He showed her the gun and pointed out the safety immediately. “The most important thing you need to learn is to keep the safety on unless you’re prepared to shoot.” He handed her the gun. “With your right hand grab it here, but keep your finger away from the trigger until you’re ready to shoot,” he said while showing her. “And hold your other hand near the barrel to steady it, but keep both of your hands away from here and here,” he added quickly. He pointed to an open hole and told her, “This is where you put in the bullets and this lever is what you will use to push the bullet in farther. Just do this…” He went through the motions with her a couple of times until she understood how to put a bullet in and ready it for a shot. “Most likely you will never shoot a rifle – this is use more for hunting, but it’s easier to some.” She gripped the gun in the manor of which he’d shown her. “Keep the barrel steady on the sandbags. They’ll help. And when you’re ready to shoot, you should lean forward. Place the gun against your shoulder and keep steady pressure against it.”

“Like this?” she asked, focusing on the task at hand.

“Yes, just…” he said as he adjusted the grip of her left hand. “Perfect. Now place your dominant eye in the sight, right there,” he said pointing to the circular hole where a scope would go. “Before you shoot, always line up the shot carefully, adjusting for wind. I came out earlier today and set up some targets.” He nodded to the small box of bullets. “Now keep the safety on, but load a bullet,” he instructed.

Her eyebrows wrinkled together in focus as she bit her lip and did as he demanded. She looked up at him when she finished.

“Good. Now put these in,” he added while handing her ear plugs. She put them in carefully “Now take off the safety and line up the shot. Then take a deep breath and pull the trigger. There will minimal kickback but it will be loud, so be prepared.”

She nodded seriously and lined up her shot, remembering everything he had said. She took a deep breath, trying to slow her heart rate and loosen her tense muscles. Eventually, once satisfied with her aim she gripped the trigger and pulled quickly before she could second guess herself. She was startled slightly by the jarring noise, but it was exhilarating. She glanced at the target and was happily surprised at how close she was to the center of the bulls-eye. “Wow, that’s cool!” she yelled.

“Good, now do it again.”

She rolled her eyes at his attitude. _God, he’s acting like Oliver,_ she thought to herself as her happy buzz started to wear off.

But Felicity did as he said. She reloaded the rifle multiple times and shot the weapon. She was pleasantly impressed that she was decent at it. She never hit the hit the bulls-eyes, but she always hit close to the middle of the target.

After a couple handful of attempts she glanced at John and smiled nervously. “How was that?” she asked coyly.

Dig looked pleased. “It’s good. You’re not bad. I’d almost say you’re a natural,” he added, smirking at her with what she assumed was pride.

“Really?” she asked surprised.

He nodded in agreement. “Yea, Felicity. I’m impressed. How about we find you a smaller target to shoot at,” he said, clearly amused at her enthusiasm.

He walked back to the car and fiddled around in his trunk for something. Felicity was thoroughly confused. When he walked back she could see he was holding a small red ball in her hand. When he walked closer she realized he was holding a cherry tomato.

He grinned mysteriously and added, “Lyla likes to make sure I have some healthy snacks – maybe she’s nesting already. I’m not sure. Anyway, I thought you could try and aim for this.”

Felicity gaped at him as her stomach sank. “I think that’s a _bad_ idea. I haven’t been able to hit the center of any of the targets.”

He shook his head and walked over to a small wooden stoop, placing the tomato on it. “Try it. It’s closer than the other’s so it should be easier.”

She took a deep breath and relented. As she stared at the small cherry tomato from hell she thought determinedly, _I’m going to win_. Felicity did as she had watched countless times in movies and TV shows... Or at least what she remembered. She aimed the gun to reach the new target and adjusted for the wind. She steadied herself, breathing slowly through her nose and focused on the small red object. She suddenly pulled the trigger and when she looked up she saw the cherry tomato explode in the air, going everywhere.

Her eyes bulged out and she gasped loudly. “I did it!” she screamed excitedly.

She locked eyes with Dig and they both laughed.

“This is fun,” she admitted happily.

…

 

**The Foundry – 7 pm**

They were sitting around a table eating big belly burger and talking about their days. It didn’t take long for Felicity to bring up her activities today in her excitement.

“No! Really, it exploded! I hit the middle of the tomato and it went _boom!_ ” she giggled as she mimicked the explosion with her hands. “See?” Felicity said, as she held up a piece of the tomato that she saved as a souvenir of her accomplishment. She grinned at the men, who were clearly attempting to hide their skepticism from her, but it was obvious – she knew them too well sometimes.

Dig smirked at Oliver and Roy and he nodded in reply to their silent question. “She really did hit the tomato on the first shot... I even tested her again by putting a piece of the broken tomato on the tree stump for her to shoot at. She hit it, guys… She did well with a .22 pistol too.”

Roy raised his eyebrows in surprise. He addressed her with confusion, “I thought you hated gun? Why the fuck are you smiling so wide?”

Felicity laughed, her eyes sparkling with mirth. She shrugged coyly and replied, “I don’t like the idea of gun or the idea of using them to hurt people, but target practice is fun. It’s a competition against myself – a puzzle, really, of how to get the bullet to the target. It’s just strategy and I always appreciate a good puzzle.” She bit her lip and muttered under her breath, “and winning doesn’t hurt.”

Oliver tilted his head at her in wonder while Roy gave her a knowing smirk.

Avoiding Oliver’s intoxicating bright blue eyes Felicity muttered, “At least I’m a natural with guns.”

Oliver reached over and lightly placed his hand on her shoulder, smiling at her reassuringly. “It was your first day training. You’ll get better. I wasn’t a natural at self-defense or using a bow. You’ll get there, just give it time.” He squeezed her shoulder a little in support. “You should start running daily, but we don’t have to do that before every workout here. Okay?” he asked, trying to make her feel better.

Roy spoke up too, even though he didn’t want to break up their weirdly uncomfortable moment. “Yeah, Felicity. I wasn’t a natural with a bow when Oliver started training me… You’ll be fine.”

Felicity smiled at her friends. “Thanks guys,” she said quietly.

It had been a long and exhausting day of training. She really needed her friends and at the moment she couldn’t have been more grateful for the three wonderful men sitting with her. She couldn’t imagine her life without them anymore. If she hadn’t met Oliver, she would have missed out on an amazing group of friends and a mission that had given her meaning for the first time in her life. She had long ago decided she would never regret signing up to work with the Arrow or meeting Oliver Queen.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I know it seems unlikely that she would hit the cherry tomato, but this chapter is actually inspired by the first time I shot a rifle... I hit the cherry tomato twice and thoroughly impressed my ex and his father lol, so I thought it would be fun to include here. 
> 
> If you want to see more of her training, let me know! I'm considering writing another scene at least with Oliver and Felicity training together. 
> 
> No Beta so all mistakes are my own and obviously I don't own any of the DCU or Arrow. 
> 
> Let me know what you think! Thanks. :-)


	9. Purgatory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I had planned on making this a lighter and happier chapter but this is what came out lol. I'm flashing forward one month and will do some jumps here or there just to speed it up. This is an entire chapter dedicated to Olicity, but it's mainly about Oliver and his shitty relationships with women. 
> 
> Warning: violence (nothing more that what you'd see on Arrow tho) and some hot sexy time. hahaha... Who knows? It could happen.

 

**J** **une 17th 2014**

The wind was blowing cold wet droplets onto his skin. He could hear cracks of thunder in the distance, which propelled him to alertness. He needed to find cover quickly away from the tall trees.

His heart beat rapidly as he started running at a steady pace, avoiding landmines without much thought. He’d spent so much time on the island by now that he’d committed most of the landmine locations to memory. The wind started picking up, whipping his damp skin painfully, the rain began falling rapidly as the thunder became louder and louder. He counted the seconds until another crack occurred and picked up his pace at the closeness of the sound - the storm would be on top of him any minute.

As he reached the closest cave, a crack roared through the night hitting a neighboring tree. A bright light enveloped his sight momentarily. He took a deep breath, a small feeling of safety overcame him, and settled into a sitting position against the cold damp rock wall. He closed his eyes to rest because storms never passed quickly on Lian Yu. Abruptly he heard a roar of deep throated laugher close by that made his skin crawl. He glanced around in panic, recognizing the voice. He was gone, wasn’t he? Dread filled him. He grabbed the nearest weapon, a rock, and readied himself for a fight.

 He heard a deep, taunting voice. “How could you let her die, kid? You said you loved her!”

“I did love her…” he murmured to himself, unable to stay quiet at the memory of seeing Shado’s dead body lying on the ground next to him. His heart raced as he tried to steady his hasty breathing. Oliver looked around desperately in the darkness, but all he could see was a shadow shaped like Slade in a corner that appeared and disappeared every few seconds. He couldn’t physically fight a shadow of the man, so he ran away from the voice and back into the raging storm. He continued to run until his legs ached from use and his lungs tightened from over exertion. He ran away from Slade’s voice and Shado’s memory, from all of the horrible things he had done pre-island, from all of the pain and violence he had inflicted on others until his mind was numb.

In the haziness of the storm and the panic of seeing Deathstroke again, he tripped against a tree limb. He cursed under his breath knowing that if he wasn’t so distracted and emotional that he would have seen and avoided it. Before he could regain his balance and stand back up again, the scent of iron overwhelmed the air. He suddenly and without warning, felt a pressure upon his back. He stayed still for a second as the realization dawned on him that it was Slade. He quickly recovered though, rolling over and flipping himself back onto his feet a few feet away from the large muscular man with a black eyepatch.

Deathstroke looked as mad as ever, smirking at Oliver with a glint of anger and resentment in his visible eye. He had a blood drenched sword in his hand. He told Oliver in a voice filled with cold malice, “I will kill everyone you love.”

Oliver’s stomach dropped when he saw Shado materialize behind Slade, wearing the green hood that Oliver treasured. She gazed at him with cold dead eyes, but otherwise she appeared as beautiful as ever. She stared at him with a sadness in her features that broke his heart all over again. “Why did you let me die? How could you do that to me, Oliver? How could you do that to someone you said you loved?” she asked, pain lacing every syllable.  

Before he could manage a response, the scene changed in front of him. He saw Slade standing over Thea and his mother. At the sight, he was filled with terror and began screaming a desperate plea. “Please don’t kill them! Kill me instead! Please… Please.” Steady tears fell from his eyes as he watched on in horror, unable to do anything. He was shaking profusely and sitting on the ground defenseless. His body was drenched in rain as he continued to watch the scene unfold in front of him. It was probably only seconds, but it felt like hours.

His mother’s face twisted from love to disgust in the span of seconds. She grimaced at him, her face turning her into a deranged and unknown woman. “You failed us all. You deserve no one,” she whispered before spitting in his direction.

 His voice breaking with emotion, he uttered desperately, “No mom, please. I love you. I didn’t mean to… Please!”

He broke off his pleas with a horrifying scream when Slade’s blade pierced through Moira’s heart. The look of pain, fear and contempt in his mother’s eyes drowning out all else. Slade Kicked Moira to the ground and glanced at Thea, who laid unconscious on the wet earth. With his sword dripping with Moira Queen’s fresh blood Slade walked over to Thea. The large man towered over his young and defenseless sister. He glared at Oliver with malice that made Oliver’s blood run cold. He felt like he could throw up at the sight in front of him.

 Slade growled, “I will kill you once everyone you love perishes at my sword.” At that moment, he stabbed Thea through the heart, the sound of the metal blade slicing through muscle radiating everywhere. Oliver watched on helplessly as Thea’s body fell to the ground, her eyes frozen in a state of panic. He continued to sit in Purgatory, motionless as he witnessed the color drain from his only living family members faces.

“Next will be your beloved Felicity,” Slade added, hissing out the last word in revulsion.

Oliver snapped to attention. He saw Shado from the corner of his eye and decided that maybe she could talk some sense into Slade. He begged, “Shado, please… please, don’t let him do this. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to die. I loved you. Please, not Felicity. Not her too. Please.” His desperation at this point was so palpable that he was shouting at them.  

“Oliver, wake up.”

He knew that voice… who was it? No. She couldn’t be here… He felt acid building up in his stomach at the thought of Slade stabbing Felicity. The thought of Felicity’s blood gliding down her chest from the open stab wound, her eyes locked in fear staring at him. I might throw up, he thought to himself _._

“Oliver, _wake up_!”

He sat up with a start, whipping his eyes open to survey for any enemies. He was breathing heavily, his body shaking as sweat dripped down his bare chest. He glanced around the room in one swift motion and froze when he locked eyes with a blonde-haired woman, Felicity, standing near him. Tension was radiating off his body at the sight of her.

 _Did I say anything out loud in my sleep? Did she hear any names?_ Questions were rattling off in his thoughts as his eyes adjusted to the low light. He gathered from her facial expression that she was concerned and uncomfortable. _Shit. What did I say?_ He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that before one of them spoke, until she broke the silence.

“Hey.” She sounded hesitant, almost as if he might yell at her for waking him up.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his hands, unsure of how to handle the situation. _Will she let it go?_ Knowing Felicity, probably not. “Hi,” is all he could get out for the moment. He was hoping maybe she would still give him an out.

She sighed heavily and crossed her arms protectively. She spoke slowly, “Sorry I woke you up… When I couldn’t sleep I came here to check on something I forgot to do… When I walked in you… you seemed, um upset. You were… _talking_ in your sleep.” She was looking at him with a silent request to talk to her, but it wasn’t a demand which made him relax slightly.

Nodding, he glanced up and followed her with his eyes as she walked away from his spot on the floor. She stopped and took something off a table before walking back over and handing it to him. _My grey hoodie_ , he realized. He took the sweatshirt gently from her fingers and put it on. Almost immediately he felt less cold, his shivering decreasing as he zipped up the sweatshirt.

“Thanks,” he mumbled while not making eye contact with her. He felt uncomfortable in her presence after the contents of his nightmare. Yet, Oliver knew she wouldn’t leave, so he patted the open space next to him as a gesture for Felicity to join.

She smiled and sat down next to him. “Do you want to talk?” she asked. She looked unsure of her place, whether she should ask or not, but she wasn’t giving in – he could see it in her eyes.

He swallowed and grimaced at the pain it caused his dry throat. He glanced at the wall, unwilling to meet her eyes. Whispering, he asked, “What did you hear?” He was shocked by the grit in his voice. _How long I was screaming_ , he wondered.

He could hear the pain in her voice when she spoke next. She glanced at her desk and deliberately said, “You said a lot of things – mainly names, but –.” She paused for a moment a look of confusion or conflict – he couldn’t tell – crossed her features. She turned her head to look at him. His heart began pounding in his chest when he saw the emotion in her beautiful blue eyes. Her voice was soft and understanding when she said, “You mentioned Shado, your mom, Slade and….” She broke off for a moment and he could hear her breath quicken ever so slightly. “And you said my name,” she muttered.

He sucked in the cold foundry air, taking a deep breath and closed his eyes waiting for her to say more. He knew she must have had at least one question.

He felt her fingers brush his arm in a soothing pattern. “Oliver, do you want to talk about _him_ …. Or what… um, what happened with Shado?” Her voice cracked in anxiety.

He sat up more, so he could see her better, but he stopped moving when he realized they were inches apart. He could feel her breath on his neck and it sent a shiver down his spine. He got lost in her eyes momentarily, wishing that everything else would disappear. “Oliver, please talk to me.” Her voice brought him back to reality.

In this moment, he realized he wanted to talk to her. It was a relatively new sensation for him. Even before the island, he rarely confided in anyone about his fears or emotions, but he wanted to share them with Felicity. However, a new fear came forward. He couldn’t stand the notion of her not seeing him as a hero, even if he didn’t feel like one himself.

Felicity tentatively brushed her hand through his hair and it landed on the side of his jaw. She whispered a soft plea to speak as she stared into his eye. He closed his eyes and gently grasped her hand on his jaw, intertwining their fingers. He relished the sensation of being close to her, especially after revisiting what haunted him in his sleep.

“I’ve been having nightmares about Slade since he came back. They’ve only gotten worse since he killed my mother and…” He paused for a second knowing full well what his next words would mean, but continued on anyway. “And after he kidnapped you,” he finished quietly. He opened his eyes then to see Felicity overcome with emotion, even though she was clearly trying to hide it.

She nodded and brought her other hand up to his jaw, trailing her finger nails lightly through his stubble in an attempt to ease him. It was working better than she probably knew. She smiled at him softly. “I’m okay though. And he can’t hurt anyone anymore,” she reminded him. “You made sure of that,” she added reassuringly.

He knew what she meant, but it didn’t help because he blamed himself for everything that had occurred. If it wasn’t for his decisions, Slade would never have been given the mirakuru, Shado and his mother would still be alive and Thea, Laurel and Felicity would never have been targeted. He hurt the people he loves without meaning to and that terrified him.  

As if she could read his mind she crinkled her eyebrows at him in determination and grasped his face gently to get his attention. “It’s _not_ your fault that Slade killed all those people,” she declared. He studied her expression, deep in thought. She seemed so sure of what she said, but before he could process it, she continued on. Felicity said with determination, “You’ve learned from your mistakes, Oliver, in many different areas of your life. You can’t live this way. The guilt will drown you.” She searched his eyes for something – he wasn’t sure what - but she seemed to find it because she gained a new-found strength and resilience. “What exactly happened to Shado? You never told me…,” she pleaded gently.

 She slowly glided her hands down to his neck, his shoulders and landed on his chest. It would normally have felt sensual, but right now it steadied him. Giving him the strength to respond to her.

He cleared his throat and stated evenly, “The scientist, Ivon, was searching for the mirakuru, and to punish us for not obeying his command he put a gun to both Shado and Sara’s heads. They were defenseless, on the ground and… so was I. There were others with guns on us, so I had no way to fight back. He gave me a choice to save one. I refused to choose… When he was about to shoot Sara I jumped in front of the gun. I thought I would take the bullet for both of them, but he took it as a choice. He immediately shot Shado in the head – in front of me.” He held his breath, waiting.

She tilted her head at him and ran her fingers up the back of his head, through his short hair. He could barely manage to strangle the moan in his chest at the feeling, but despite his best efforts she heard it. He could tell she had, when Felicity gave him a small smile in response.

“You reacted to an impossible situation, Oliver. You thought you were saving _both_ of their lives by sacrificing yourself. It was Ivon’s fault, not yours.”

He stopped breathing for a second, but eventually nodded. She ran her fingers through his hair some more, while clearly lost in thought.

After a few minutes she asked, “What else is bothering you?” She sounded unsure again, which surprised him.

It hit him that she was actually asking about why he said her name in the nightmare. He swallowed and without thinking he began rubbing up and down her shoulders and arms slowly, tracing her skin lightly with his fingertips. He allowed himself a minute to compose himself. Eventually he gazed in her eyes, trying to convey everything he felt for her. “Felicity, I’ve hurt a lot of people and a lot of people have gotten hurt because they were close to me... I _can’t_ lose you too,” Oliver muttered. The fear is his voice was barely hidden, he didn’t want to hide it. He wanted her to understand. He wanted her to tell him she wasn’t going anywhere, so what she said next startled him.

With a warmth and softness to her voice Felicity answered him. “We all die at some point. We’re _human._ That’s what happens… I could get killed tomorrow by a car or it could be sixty years from now from old age. The point is to treasure the time we have left. You can’t take your life for granted… I choose a life full of risk and violence with Team Arrow – _yes,_ I said Team Arrow, just go with it for once -  because my life has meaning now. We make a difference and that is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever been blessed to experience. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.” She waited until he met her eyes again before she finished her point. “No matter what happens – or _doesn’t_ happen – between us, I will choose this life, violence and all, _every time_ … Which means that I’ve accepted the fact that I will be in danger from time to time. Us being together wouldn’t change anything. It seems you’ve finally come to the same conclusion since you’re training me now…” As if she suddenly realized what she was saying she pulled her hands from his neck and they collapsed into her lap awkwardly. She quickly added, “I mean that is if you were interested, but we already talked about the mansion thing… I know you said it was a lie and if that’s true we can act like this never happened.” She shook her head at his expressionless face. “We’re friends – it’s completely platonic. It’s good. Just pretend I didn’t just babble on about anything else. We have a good thing going – friendship and all is great. Who ever said you couldn’t be friends with a hot guy who constantly just happens to be shirtless and have preposterously flawless abs.” She blushed a little, feeling vulnerable and embarrassed.

He stayed quiet this whole time, waiting to see when she would end her tangent. When she pulled her hands away from him, his heart sank and the cold feeling in his bones started to return. He grasped her hand again, intertwining their fingers together lightly. She looked surprised, hesitant, but not uninterested, he thought contently. He reached out to her with his other hand, his fingers lightly grazing the side of her face. They locked eyes for a second and when he saw a glimpse of hope in her eyes, he raised his other hand to cup both sides of her face. His heart quickened as he felt her breath do the same. She opened her mouth slightly. He couldn’t help himself from glancing at her parted lips. When he glimpsed into her eyes again, he realized they had begun to darken in desire. He leaned forward slowly in hopes that she would meet him in the middle and when she did, their lips met for a slow almost drowsily soft kiss. It was sweet and meaningful, full of possibilities and promises. She ran her fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp lightly as she pulled his face closer. He moaned at the sensation and tilted his head to deepen the kiss affectionately. She pulled away suddenly, her eyes dazed. His heart crashed when he saw the look of fear in her eyes. _I did this to her_ , he thought to himself. She was shaking her head in confusion, her chest rising and falling fast.

“No” she muttered softly, her voice choked with emotion. “You’ll regret this tomorrow.” She looked at him, her eyebrows knotted in pain. “I’m sorry,” she added quietly.

Suddenly, she stood up and walked out of the foundry as fast as possible without a second glance in his direction.

When he heard the door close behind her he groaned at his mistake. He sat they’re for some time, replaying what happened in his head. He didn’t regret kissing her, he doubted he ever would regret _that_ , but she wasn’t wrong. He was emotionally clouded because of how he woke up and what she had said to him right before the kiss. He made a rash decision when he kissed Felicity and he could see why she left, even if he wished she stayed.

He sat on his bed daydreaming about the kiss, the feeling of her lips moving against his. He thought about the way she tasted and the scent of vanilla on her skin that overwhelmed his senses. It was better than he had expected and he had always thought kissing Felicity would feel remarkable. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

 _What went wrong?_ He ran through everything that happened multiple times before he came to the conclusion that she might have thought he just wanted one emotionally loaded night with her. The thought made him nauseated. _Does she really think of me that way? I would never do that to her – I hope she knows that._

He shook his head, leaning his elbows on his thighs as fatigue set in again. Oliver thought about all of the things he could tell Felicity tomorrow. He could pretend it never happened, she would most likely go along with it. She always did before… He could also talk to her and apologize, or he could ask her out and get to kiss her again. He groaned at the thought, desire and frustration building.

His exhausted mind drifted to what might have happened, if she hadn’t stopped it. Would he have slept with her? _I wanted to… I definitely would have if she hadn’t stopped it,_ he decided unquestioningly. That most likely would have been a mistake – mainly in that he wasn’t sure if he was capable of being in a happy and committed relationship and be the arrow. He didn’t want to hurt Felicity and having sex with her and not following through would have ended badly. He had been grappling with the idea of dating Felicity for over a month and each time he ran away from his feelings for her. It didn’t help that she always gave him an out.

 Tonight, he had been too overwhelmed and vulnerable from the nightmare to put up his usual walls. He took a risk he would never have done otherwise. He sighed as the full weight of what happened tonight sunk in. He couldn’t deny he had feelings for her any longer - That kiss said everything he couldn’t express to her for over a year. But if his impetuous decisions and her terrified reaction were any sign, maybe he wasn’t ready to give her everything she needed.

“I love you, Felicity,” he whispered into the quiet darkness of the foundry.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off I want to start by saving thank you everyone whose given me kudos or even just clicked on my story! I've only been doing this for a couple of weeks and it's been a blast. It's a fun project that helps me creatively when I feel stifled by other things. Thinking that even a handful of you enjoy reading it means the world to me. I've never been much of a fiction writer... :-)
> 
> I was really nervous to write the chapter because I've never written anything with violence. Hopefully it worked you enjoyed it!
> 
> As always all mistakes are my own. If you see any errors or things you think I should fix just let me know.


	10. Summer Lovin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara Lance and Nyssa Al Ghul spend the day together as assassins, but no matter what their relationship always comes first.

**July 13 2014**

The ground shifted under her foot as she steadied her balance on the soft hill side. She stood perched on the dry earth, readying herself to leap at the first sign of danger. Her black hood and scarf covered her features; only her dark almond shaped eyes were visible. It was past nightfall so she was safely hidden in the shadows from onlookers while darkness clouded her vision. The wind whipped at small patches of skin that were open to the elements. Dirt particles flew through the air. It stung, but it did not bother her. She was accustomed to enduring suffering; Nyssa’s father had taught her such a lesson long ago through cruel means for one who declared himself her parentage.

When she had planned the attack, she settled on this location - as it was the most logical strategy – but was somewhat disenchanted at the annoyance she knew it would result in. It was an uncomfortable place for her to wait, but her mark had too many guards for her to sneak up on them any other way. It was possible they would have been overheard by those nearby or her mark might have escaped in the momentary chaos. Also, the company that provided the guards were known to be formidable foes, so she chose the careful root. One that would result in an encounter far from prying ears. Thus, here she stood, waiting patiently for over an hour.

While watching for her target, she quickly double checked the number of arrows she had in her quiver. She counted 20 black arrows laced with curare. She nodded to herself in confidence, a small smile crossing her covered lips at the reminder of Sara.

She used to poison her arrowheads with Tibetan pit viper venom, but recently was convinced to choose something less deadly. After all, the majority of their missions involved one or two targets, but for years Nyssa had killed witnesses and guards without mercy. Often times such deaths were unnecessary since league members were shadows to the world. There was no need to cover their tracks. It was an impossibility that they would be convicted of such a crime regardless of witnesses. At least that was Sara’s argument when she spoke with Nyssa about it. However, she knew the truth. Sara didn’t like killing and she simply wanted to limit the deaths committed by both of their hands. Nyssa understood her unsaid fears and agreed without much effort on Sara’s part. She would do anything for her beloved, even if it meant going against the league’s code of conduct.

She took a deep breath, focusing on her surroundings. _I can let nothing surprise me,_ she reminded herself. She glared in the direction of the abrupt clamor, observing expectantly as a nearby door opened. Light flooded the road ahead. Sounds of laughter and beers clinking coming from within the small building. She readied herself for the battle, adjusting her sword. She pulled out her bow and strung a few arrows. She held the string taught as she paused for further clarification. She spotted him immediately, but waited until the proper moment to pounce. She refused to lose such an immoral and despicable target because of her impatience. He’d escaped far too many convictions because of his wealth; a lovely result of his involvement with the human trafficking of young defenseless girls. The door closed behind him and his nine guards. The sounds of merriment abruptly gone as a silent darkness washed over the night air.

They made their way towards her completely unaware of the present danger. She slowed her heart-rate, a tranquil warmth washing over her as she held her position. Once they reached her grasp she let lose arrow after arrow from her compound bow. Nyssa incapacitated three of the guards within seconds, sending them to the ground. She jumped off the hill and kicked a guard in the head. He fell to the ground with a thud. She gracefully rolled onto the earth to break her fall and landed on her feet with an unnaturally soft sound. Nyssa glowered at the men daring them to challenge her. The shock wore off their faces suddenly. The remaining guards threw themselves in front of their client while two of them started shooting at her. She scoffed at their inaccuracy as Nyssa elegantly sprinted towards them, avoiding each bullet with ease. She shot arrows at the men who dared to use their weapons against her. They fell to the ground paralyzed. She knocked out the closest guard with a quick jab to his stomach and a violent blow to the head with the edge of her bow. Immediately after, she began trading hits with three others. The look of fear on the imposing men’s faces brought joy to her as she blocked their blows with ease. She effortlessly drew her sword, the shining blade reflected extraordinarily in the darkness of night. She easily sliced through two of the remaining men who were severely lacking proper training.

However, the third man caught her momentarily off guard, hitting her on her shoulder with a knife. She hissed in frustration. She thought he would back down, but with a sardonic turn of his lips he smiled at her. She growled at his response, her eyes as black as the night’s sky. Nyssa noticed his arms were three times the size of hers as he towered over her. He appeared calm and confident as he gazed at her with a gruesome smirk across his features. It would be intimidating to most women, maybe even bone chillingly terrifying. Nevertheless, Nyssa was no ordinary woman. _No one bests the Demon’s Heir_ , she thought to herself as he tauntingly watched her.

In the seconds that followed, she threw her weight at his side and sliced the air with her sword. He flinched in fear and tried to block her attack, but his strength backfired. His blunt movements couldn’t match the speed and agility of hers. The blade flew through the air abruptly in the opposite direction at such a speed one could barely see it. A drop of blood fell from her blade’s edge as her sword landed against the tall man’s neck. His arms seized frozen as she pushed her weight against it gently. He took a sharp intake of breath. Blood began to pool under her knife’s-edge against his pale skin. She noticed his jaw tighten at the movement and a fleeting look of fear crossed his features.

“Give up,” she growled, sounding almost inhuman.

His eyes never left hers. “I will never give in to a woman,” he spat.

When she felt his wet saliva hit her cheek she became overcome with rage. Her limbs stiffened and she grasped her hilt tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her nostrils flared and she tilted her head at him. This man insulted her. Yet, he was the nuisance - a toy, a chess piece owned and controlled by someone else, who would break at a moment’s notice. Before she could respond in kind, he used her momentary anger to his advantage. He pushed the sword away from his neck with his forearm. His strength might not have caught her off guard, but his speed did. He grabbed a nearby pipe lying on the ground to defend himself. The guard tried to disarm her with a multitude of blows to her sword, but she defended herself well. She matched him blow for blow with little exertion, but he was fast and strong – much stronger than she.

After little time, he landed a hit to her stomach and suddenly became arrogant and brash. She noticed his weakness in such a moment – the one thing she could use against him. In less than a minute she had landed multiple hits using his brashness against him, but little brought him to the ground for long. She glanced behind him to see the bald man running away with the one unharmed remaining guard. At the sight, Nyssa lost her temper and quickly double jabbed the tall man with her sword. She growled and threw her strength into a hit to disarm his left hand holding the pipe. When he caught her blade with the pipe, it bounced off. She hissed at him and quickly drew multiple and succinct blows to his arm and leg. When her blade sliced his leg, he fell to the ground and groaned in agony. He grasped his injured leg with his empty hand distracted by the pain. She grimaced at his expression and kicked the pipe out of his hand. She stopped herself from running her sword through his stomach.

“If you do not put steady pressure on the injury, you will surely die. Do not follow me or I will kill you,” she hissed while throwing a rag at him. He nodded firmly, his fear showing through his façade, as he willingly took the rag and wrapped it around his injured leg tightly. She was satisfied with his response, so she looked up to see the last guard running away with the target, gaining distance with speed.

She uttered a low growl in irritation before rapidly sprinting after them. However, before she could catch up to them a woman shrouded in a black hood appeared out of the shadows. The shrouded woman took two swift steps towards the bald man and stabbed him in the back. The sword’s point pierced his chest, blood running down the tip of the shining metal onto his shirt. Blood filled his mouth as he gasped for air. The hooded woman pushed the man’s back and pulled the blade out of his chest. He fell to the ground face first with thud. She then turned to gaze at the last remaining guard.

“Run,” the small woman stated in a rough voice.

He let out a terrified whine. Before Nyssa could utter a word, he dashed into the dark night at an unnerving pace. When the man was well beyond ear shot she walked towards the hooded woman, still glaring in the guard’s direction.

“Well, it’s about time you assisted me,” she whispered gently.

She walked out of the shadows from the nearby building, revealing a blue-eyed woman wearing league attire. She lowered her hood and scarf simultaneously, revealing long blonde hair. “Honey, I think you had it handled pretty well, even if I think it could have ended quicker. I’m surprised you didn’t roar at the man like an injured lion,” she teased.

Nyssa walked to her slowly, unconcerned about witnesses. The closest building, which was close to a mile away, was filled with loud and drunk men. They surely did not notice a few noises, especially considering the fact that the body guards used silencers. Not to mention, they were in a small village in Indonesia - non-U.S. extradition territory of course, which rarely had much of a nightlife. The nightlife that did exist went on much later than 9pm. She had done her research in the area long enough to understand the habits of those who frequented the bar. At the earliest they usually left by 11pm, except the bald man; he was particularly old in his ways. He purely went to bars to do business, which worked in Nyssa’s favor. Hence why she chose this location.

She was now mere inches from the blonde woman’s face. She took off her facial coverings to reveal a soft smile. Her eyes dazzled with amusement as she locked eyes with Sara. “My beloved, we both know I could have easily taken them all down without mercy or exertion, but that was not our goal today. Although men can often be insolent and arrogant, I do not let anyone control me or my anger. I am my own woman, but I am quite sure you know this to be true.”

Sara rolled her eyes and huffed in exasperation. “Clearly,” she added dryly.

“Let’s leave, else we will be discovered. There are still at least two conscious men nearby,” Nyssa whispered softly to her love. She grasped her girlfriend’s hand and gently guided Sara in the direction of their safe house.

The stark contrast between the rapid and viciously fought battle and the way they walked up the hill, hand in hand, would have been startling to watch for onlookers. But for them, it was their way of declaring some sort of normalcy.

For a while they walked quietly with their fingers intertwined, enjoying the silence and left-over adrenaline from the fight. They stayed to the shadows like always, going down alleyways, dirt trails and through cut down bushes - trails of their own making - until they descended a tall and steep hill to find their car awaiting their return. They silently went about their routine. Sara opened the car door and entered the driver’s seat. She buckled her seat belt and waited for her girlfriend to take the seat beside her. She watched their surroundings for any possible threat as Nyssa securely placed their weapons in the backseat. Once Nyssa settled into the seat, Sara started the car. The motor revved to life and shortly after they drove away, leaving a town that they would likely never visit again.

“I still can’t believe you don’t know how to drive,” Sara huffed, smiling to herself as she watched the road intently. Sara shook her head in confusion or amusement, Nyssa wasn’t sure. But she assumed the latter considering her posture and smile.

“I had no need… I’ve told you countless times, my love. I ride horseback, walk, take public transportation or someone drives me. I’m the Heir to the Demon. I do not waste my time on things of little consequence... Do you not recall these conversations?” She tilted her head and wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion as she glanced at Sara.

She turned the wheel slightly to adjust to the curving dirt road. “I am aware of that… I’m just surprised you don’t want to learn,” Sara added shrugging.

Nyssa smiled at her girlfriend’s casual manor. It was rare for her to see the woman she loves so calm and unguarded.

“I never needed to learn, but perhaps you’d like to give me a lesson?” she asked, softly.

“Seriously?” She quickly glanced at her girlfriend. “Nyssa, I would drive you crazy… It would be fifteen times worse than the first time you tried to teach me to disarm an opponent,” she said unconvinced.

“Excuse me, but I am not turned to insanity so easily… That was the only time I lost my temper with you!” Nyssa scoffed.

Sara smirked at her. “It’s cute you think that… but you lost your temper often – like almost every day for the first month…”

She bit her lip to hide her laughter and turned her gaze back to the road. “I’m sorry but breaking one man’s legs because I pissed you off is a bit short tempered, don’t you think? That’s just one example... Shit happened on multiple occasions. Many times. _Many times_ ,” she muttered to herself, avoiding her girlfriend’s eyes.

“It’s not my fault that you were an insufferable child, incapable of basic self-defense or self-preservation skills. I was trying to keep you alive and you refused to work with me. I was trying to get you to fear me – at least that might have kept you alive,” she whispered. She glanced down at her hand when she felt the familiar feeling of Sara’s soft and warm fingers on her wrist. She grasped the woman’s hand tightly and rested the interlocked fingers on her thigh.

“Let’s not revisit the past. You saved me. We’re both still alive and together – that’s all that matters,” Sara stated calmly as she continued to drive the car. She squeezed their hands and smiled to herself.

Nyssa took a deep breath and muttered quietly, “No. I need to say this.” When Sara nodded she continued. “It was years ago. And yes, I had a temper. I never spoke of this with anyone, but during those early months I did not understand my feelings for you… I knew I cared for you from the moment I laid eyes on your lifeless form on Lian Yu, but I was not aware of the depth of my conviction for you until later. I risked my life and the lives of my companions when I brought you to Nanda Parbat. With every fiber of my being I needed to save you and I didn’t know how to handle such emotion, so I lashed out in anger. I purposely rarely directed it at you, but it took me time to control my rage… My newfound feelings. See, I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you. Since my mother I had never loved anyone. If you do not love, then you do fear loss. If you do not fear loss, then you do not anger quickly when someone is in danger. Sara, my beloved. You were _always_ in danger. When you came into my life everything changed and it took time for me to adjust to my new fears – my new world view.”

“In childhood, my father made me believe it was acceptable to take my frustrations out on others. I saw him torture people daily. He taught me the ways early on. Yet, I never wanted to be the cause of such pain. I avoided killing as a child, but it wasn’t long before my father turned me into a monster…” Nyssa paused when Sara squeezed her hand. A gentle gesture of support for her to continue speaking. She swallowed. “I avoided everything - pain, torture and killing – that often meant avoiding all emotion as well. By the time I made it to the island of Lian Yu I was lost. I was empty and cold. I was a shell of a person… As soon as I let love in, I lost control. I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth. I was violent and short tempered. Eventually I faced my demons and gained serenity once again, but it took time.”

“Is that why you didn’t make a move?” Sara asked hesitantly.

She hummed in agreement as she thought back to the early months of their courtship. “Yes. If I couldn’t face myself without fear, I refused to put you in such a position. It took almost a year, but eventually -.” She paused and smiled. “Eventually, you became sick of waiting for me… I will never forget our first kiss,” she whispered tenderly.

Sara laughed and nodded along cheekily. “I love you,” Sara stated with warmth as she took a sharp turn using only her left hand.

Nyssa smiled and glanced at her girlfriend. “I love you too.”

After some time, the conversation died down and Nyssa was left to her thoughts. They sat in content silence.

Earlier today on their way to town, they had talked for hours discussing childhood memories. Sara opened up to her more about her new friend, Felicity, and her strained relationship with Laurel. Nyssa shared with her some of her best memories growing up in the league. Most of her life was schooling or training, but some of it was good, especially her friendship with a small girl named Hina, now known as Shaytan. Nyssa didn’t often share moments of her past, it was too painful. Her entire life she had been programmed to believe that her happiness was irrelevant; her only goal was to serve the Demon and to one day become it. Her life was planned out for her; she was the Heir to the Demon and she accepted that role wholeheartedly now. Yet, it was not a choice. Her birthright had been forced upon her for years until she accepted the undeniable reality as a teenager. By the time she was 18, she had lost all hope of finding love or feeling anything other than mastering her fears and craving violence. She had not been taught to share her feelings or desires. Emotions were a weakness and nothing more.

When Sara entered her life, she had filled a part of Nyssa’s soul that she had long ago forgotten. Sara had given her a reason to truly live and because of that she was slowly peeling away Nyssa’s layers of anger, annoyance and indifference to see the woman she was underneath the title, underneath the mask. In the silence of the car she thought about her life. Her conversations with Sara today had stirred up lost memories of her childhood – it made her revisit her life choices and the type of person she ended up being.

Yet, such topics also reminded her of how her relationship with Sara has changed her life for the better. Sara gave her a new sense of peace about her future. Knowing that she would happily stand next to Nyssa when she gained the thrown made her content. Once in a while she allowed herself to dream of a simple life with Sara, a life of love, freedom and maybe even marriage and a family. She could see herself raising children with Sara. She could envision it all. She could almost hear small feet running down the hall, children giggling and screeching as Nyssa ran behind them trying to catch her children during play time. She pictured Sara and her in bed with a small girl cuddled up between them under the covers. But as soon as she visualized the beauty of such a life she quickly shut it down, declaring it an impossibility. Although they could be together, they would never have a normal life. _I am incapable of that._  Despite the knowledge, she still felt a slight twinge of loss at the thought. She quieted her emotions immediately, pushing them into the far reaches of her mind, just like she had learned to do as a child during training.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Sara asked, evidently concerned.

Nyssa silently cursed herself. It is unbecoming of the demon to show emotion. She smiled comfortingly at Sara, silently assuring her that she was okay. She thought for a minute before coming to an appropriate response. “I was just thinking of the life I could have had… had I ended up with a different father, a different childhood.”

It pained her to say aloud, but long ago she promised to always be honest with Sara. She would not allow herself to go back on her word, no matter the reason, for she cherished her above all else. Nyssa analyzed her every move when Sara stayed quiet for a long time. It aggrieved Nyssa to hold her tongue during this time, but she understood that Sara had an equally difficult time voicing her personal thoughts and feelings. Her girlfriend appeared to be conflicted, but Nyssa couldn’t comprehend why she felt as such. As long minutes passed by she reconciled with the fact that Sara may never respond to her statement. It spoke of too many ‘what if’s’ and impossible thoughts of a normal life. Things they could not have, or maybe shouldn’t have. After all, Nyssa had been trained as a youngling to kill without mercy. It wasn’t exactly a hallmark childhood, nor did it scream the teachings of an ideal mother.

Eventually they reached their destination. It was a small house, built of bamboo matting, teak wood and cement floors, in the middle of no-where. The location was ideal. No neighbors meant no prying eyes for miles. It was an unassuming place, small but adequate for short stays, especially considering the home was surrounded by beautiful trees. It was a sight Nyssa truly missed when she went back home to Nanda Parbat after visiting somewhere such as this. However, such trees also created blind spots. The league was always careful, so to insure against unwanted visitors they placed traps along the surrounding property as a precaution.

They gathered their things from the small, run down car and walked into the safe house together. After they cleaned and put away their weapons, Nyssa went about boiling some water for tea, like she always did, while Sara changed out of her league clothing for some more casual sweatpants and a white tank top.

She allowed herself a short glance at Sara when she was sure the woman wasn’t looking, while she poured them both some hot tea. It was an odd habit of hers, but it’s something that had comforted Nyssa for years. Before she would admit to her feelings for Sara, she would satisfy her longing by watching her as she trained. She never would invade the woman’s personal space or boundaries, for that would be improper, but she loved watching Sara’s movements. It captivated her mind to watch her - so beautiful and graceful - show such power against her foes. The fact that she was a small blonde woman, who looked like the stereotypical ‘girl next door’ made her even more of a conundrum to Nyssa. It fascinated her.

She walked over slowly to Sara, who was sitting on the small sofa, and handed her a mug of steaming hot tea.

“Thank you,” Sara said quietly, avoiding her gaze.

Nyssa nodded in response. She put her cup down on a small table near the sofa and changed out of her league garb. After she changed into more comfortable clothing she sat down next to Sara on the small sofa to savor her warm drink. They sat there together drinking tea in silence. For some couples, such peace might have been uncomfortable but for them it was common, even cherished.

“You’re hurt.”

Nyssa looked up at the sound, startled out of her daydreaming. She hesitated for a moment. “What?” she asked when she realized she didn’t hear the comment. She watched on as Sara put down her mug on a small bamboo stool, stood up and went to go grab something from the kitchen.  _What is she doing?_   Sara came back with a small basket filled with medical supplies and Nyssa huffed in understanding, slightly aggravated.

“Move your bra strap,” Sara commanded.

Nyssa did as she was told. “The knife scarcely grazed my flesh,” she insisted.

Sara smirked at her, clearly placating Nyssa. She slowly moved Nyssa’s hair out of the way before she went about cleaning the small wound and bandaging it up. Although Nyssa would never admit it, she loved the way Sara always insisted upon taking care of her – she was always so gentle with Nyssa’s injuries. She had never had that before with anyone, even her mother.

Sara took a deep breath and slowly let it out as she finished her work. Nyssa immediately closed her eyes as she felt Sara’s warm breath glide against her neck. She opened them again when she sensed the despair radiating off of her love. She reached out to stroke Sara’s cheek in a comforting gesture, as she tried to gauge what was causing her girlfriend such anguish.

She knew not what was bothering her, so Nyssa asked, “What’s wrong? I am in no pain. The injury is negligible.”

Sara moved Nyssa’s strap back into place before picking up her mug again and leaning back against the sofa silently. She gazed at Nyssa, a sorrow swallowing her eyes as she smiled. When she spoke it was soft, almost a whisper, “I know. That’s not it though… While cleaning your wound I couldn’t stop thinking about what our lives could be like if we met under – normal conditions… Like you mentioned earlier.” She looked away suddenly and Nyssa saw her bite her lip, clearly trying to hold back tears.

In this moment, she had no idea what to do. She would love Sara until her dying breath, but it was impossible for Nyssa to give her that life. Her throat went dry. “Do you want that life?”

When Sara stared at her, an overwhelming feeling of love overtook Nyssa. She was always marveled by Sara’s heart, her compassion and strength. She lightly ran her fingers up and down Sara’s arm, desperately pleading for her to speak. Sara looked off into the distance, lost in thought, but she leaned into Nyssa’s body for comfort.

“When I left last year, I couldn’t stand the killing anymore… I thought I could be a better person, that I could still be Sara Lance, but the longer I spent in Starling the more I became terrified that I’m long gone… I came back to you, to the league, when I almost killed a friend of Oliver and Felicity’s. An Arrow team member. It was my immediate inclination… I never once thought I could save him, but Oliver knew better.” Sara swallowed as tears started to roll down her cheek. “I don’t think after everything I’ve been through, that I could have a normal life. I don’t think marriage or kids are in the cards for me, no matter how much I want it… I think I might be too damaged.”

Her head was resting on Nyssa’s shoulder by the end of her speech. Nyssa's arm wrapped around her body, while her other hand continued to lightly rub Sara’s arm up and down. Nyssa wasn’t sure what to make of her words. Sara was one of the sweetest souls she had ever met. _How does she see herself so differently?_  

She lightly kissed Sara’s soft shoulder, her lips barely moving from her skin as she told her, “Your situation has changed you, certainly, but my dear, you will always be a good person. You will always have a pure and kind soul. That is who you are – the league did not change that – if you were truly beyond repair, you wouldn’t be crying right now.” Sara shook her head in swift disagreement, so Nyssa continued. “Yes, you have made mistakes – we all have, it’s human nature. Yet, you will always also be the woman, who puts other’s needs above your own. You’ve done so for me countless times. You did so when you left the league to ensure your family’s safety after the earthquake… You did so when you became the Black Canary, a daring and brilliant vigilante who saved countless women from the hands of men… You also did so when you left Starling. You thought they would be better off without you. But you are wrong, beloved. No one is better off without you in their lives… I should know… I lost you once and I hope that never happens again.” She placed gentle kisses along Sara’s shoulder three times, savoring the sweet taste of her skin. Her lips tracing Sara’s bare skin. “You have seen darkness, my love, but you have not been corrupted by it.”

She brushed her fingertips through Sara’s blonde hair, smoothing out the tangles. Sara uttered a devastated moan and shook her head in objection. Her lips began to quiver and tears fell from her eyes in a steady stream. Nyssa took this as her que to sit up further and to turn Sara’s face gently with her palm, so she could look into her girlfriend’s hypnotizing ice blue eyes. She locked eyes with her desperately trying to convince her beloved of her value and goodness. She whispered, in a determined and loving tone, “My beloved, I want you to know that whether you are called Ta-er al-sahfer or Sara Lance, I will love you as long as I breath. You will always be my bright light. You will always have goodness in your soul. You will always make me a better person.”

With wet eyes Sara turned her face into Nyssa’s hand. She lightly placed a kiss into her palm and closed her eyes. One last tear fell from her eye. Nyssa wiped the tear away with her thumb gently, trying to rid herself of the reminder of her beloved’s sorrow. Sara turned her body slightly, so the women were facing each other. She intertwined their fingers slowly and placed Nyssa’s hands on her thighs.

“I love you, Nyssa. More than I could ever express, but I – how do you know?”

Nyssa rubbed her thumbs against Sara’s pale skin before she responded. “Sara, I know you well. I met you at a time when you were facing true darkness… You didn’t see it at the time, but you are a survivor. Although, it’s best to not see the darkness, you can never take it back and you became a better person because of it. You never wanted to kill. You learned to, to survive and it became your life. But that does not mean you must kill without mercy.” Nyssa released her hands and ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. She looked into her puffy blue eyes, filled with sorrow and hope. “You taught me that… You do not have to accept your fate, Sara Lance. We are assassins, but we kill those who deserve it. You do not have to kill those who do not. I will not force you. I promise.” Nyssa pulled Sara in for a soft kiss. Their lips met for a chaste peck before Nyssa pulled away. “You will not lose your soul. I promise, I will not let you.” Sara looked taken aback at the declaration. She let out a shaky breath and nodded. Nyssa smiled at her love reassuringly. “Good.”

At that moment, Sara wrapped her arms around Nyssa and pulled her in for a searing kiss. Their lips met in a passionate and reverent embrace. Their tongues desperate, seeking solace and pleasure in the intensity of the moment. Nyssa moaned as Sara bite her bottom lip. Her love pulled away and licked her way down Nyssa’s neck slowly as she edged the tank top up past her stomach. Nyssa’s hands roamed over her body frantically as if it would be her last time. She needed to mesmerize every inch of Sara’s form. “Mahbub,” Nyssa moaned as she closed her eyes. She felt Sara’s lips tilt into a smile on her skin and felt the woman’s teeth bite her softly. She dug her nails into the blonde’s back at the sensation. She reached for Sara’s tank top and ripped it off her quickly. Sara kissed down Nyssa’s chest tauntingly.

“Well aren’t you in a rush tonight.”

Nyssa let out a throaty laugh. She ran her fingers through Sara’s blonde hair and smiled as the woman’s lips went lower. “That’s usually your territory, isn’t it Mahbub?”

Sara hummed as she lowered Nyssa’s straps, pulling her tank top with it. She pushed Nyssa down onto the couch, so Sara could lie on top of her. Nyssa gripped Sara’s head when she felt the warm air hit her newly bare chest. Sara teased her with her tongue. Without warning Nyssa grabbed her ass and sat up.

“What are you doing!” Sara gasped.

Nyssa smiled mischievously. “Shh, my love", she whispered before lifting Sara off of her body lightly. Before Sara could say anything, Nyssa lifted Sara onto her shoulder making Sara yell in surprise, her legs dangling in the air. Nyssa laughed and quickly stood up. She carried her beloved to the bedroom slowly as they both giggled at the absurdity of the moment.

“You know. If you wanted to carry me into the bedroom it could have been a bit more romantic."

Nyssa slapped her ass in response. Once they made it to the bed, Nyssa threw Sara onto it. "Tonight is about you," she whispered seductively. "What do you want?" Sara locked eyes with her, her grinning growing larger by the second. Nyssa knew that look... Tonight wasn't going to be a quickie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Nyssa and really hated what they did with her character... Nyssara will def show up again soon! I loved writing the chapter but Im not sure with how it turned out... let me know! Critic and all. :) 
> 
> Also as always for me I do not own any of the DCU obviously yada yada yada... No beta so all mistakes are my own. Let me know if I made any huge errors. I'll fix them! 
> 
> Thank you for reading my story. :))


	11. The Truth Always Comes Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month has past since Oliver and Felicity kissed and life is beginning to feel normal again. Felicity trains with Oliver daily, goes to work at Tech Village and meets up with friends for dinner after work when she doesn't have to work double duty for team Arrow. But today, she is forced to see multiple truths in between the mundane hours of daily life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own anything DC clearly.  
> Sorry I haven't updated in over a week. Hopefully, I'll get chapters out more often!

**July 16 th 2014 **

_His eyes seemed haunted as he avoided her gaze; he looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. I wonder if he went to sleep after I left?_

_“I don’t regret the kiss. Not for a second, but I’m sorry. Felicity, I – I can’t be the man you need. I can’t be in a relationship and a vigilante. It won’t work. I’ll mess this up,” Oliver muttered softly. He looked pleadingly at her. “I just – I hope we’re alright. That we can still work together and -.” He cut himself off suddenly._

_She could tell he desperately wanted to say more, but for whatever reason refused to do so. She understood Oliver was asking for another graceful out – a way to pretend what he had said and done the night before were forgotten as a moment of passion – of an unsaid truth between them. She knew his excuse was such. An excuse. It was one that he truly believed, or at least that’s what Felicity thought. Yet, the truth had come out last night - they had feelings for one another. She could see it in his eyes, in the way he kissed her so reverently, so feverish. That didn’t change anything though._

_“I know. And yes, we’re okay.”_

_She was good enough at puzzles to see a pattern forming when they kissed in the darkness of the foundry. As she glanced at his defeated expression she knew her intuition was correct. He wanted to run – or maybe he needed to run. Either way, she realized he wasn’t ready._

_She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders, gaining courage. She licked her lips. “Our work partnership will not change… If you’re talking about our friendship, I hope that will stay the same. I understand -.” She paused suddenly when he tilted his chin down to lock eyes with her. The warmth, the love, in them momentarily took her breath away. She blinked rapidly to gain her composure. I’m better than this, she reminded herself bitterly. She smiled at him kindly and pushed her glasses up her nose with one finger distractedly. “We’re more than okay,” she said with faked ease._

_Without a second glance in his direction she turned and walked up the steps to Verdant. She closed the door to the foundry and felt her legs begin to shake. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she did the right thing. She couldn’t force him to be ready for a relationship that he wasn’t and she refused to be a woman who pined over a man. That left only one option… Move on._

_“I’m brilliant, funny and beautiful,” she muttered to herself. She huffed in frustration. “I don’t need this shit.”_

_She felt utterly defeated and frustrated over the ridiculously high school situation she found herself in. She hadn’t felt this confused about a boy since she was a freshman in high school and had a crush on David Matthews – a jock who was two years older than her. “I need to punch something or go on a 10-mile run. I –.”_

“Ow,” Oliver groaned while grabbing his arm. “What happened?”

She snapped out of her daydreaming and bit her lip at the scene in front of her. They were standing on the mats in the foundry. Her hands were held in the proper position and she had boxing gloves on. Oliver was stretching his empty hand as he held the punching bag with his other one.

“I hit you,” she gasped as reality sunk in. “I’m sorry… but – I, I couldn’t have hit you _that_ hard.”

“No, I was more surprised than anything. You usually focus while boxing – it’s your favorite part of training. Are you okay?” She shrugged uncomfortably considering the fresh memory. He raised the bag again and nodded at her. “Okay, then. Again. This time work on your uppercuts,” he demanded.

“Kay,” she mumbled as she readjusted her form and hit the bag he was holding in his hands. She focused on her form and breath. _In, out… In, out... In, out_ , she reminded herself as she hit the bag with as much strength as she could muster while also focusing on her form. Although she enjoyed boxing, it wasn’t exactly easy. Maybe in a few more months she’d be better, or at least she hoped so.

“Don’t forgot to vary your punches. Predictability will get you killed.”

Felicity rolled her eyes as she hit the bag. She huffed at the death glare he was giving her. “You know, you would make a remarkable drill sergeant. I think you missed your calling.”

Oliver smiled softly. “My dad threatened sending me to the military multiple times, but it wasn’t much of a threat. I knew he wasn’t serious.”

The sounds of her fists hitting the bag reverberated throughout the foundry as it had been for the past thirty minutes. She kept her focus on the activity, but couldn’t help wandering slightly.

“Did your dad punish you growing up for doing ridiculously childish crap?” she asked curiously. She knew Thea had gotten into an incredible amount of shit over the past many years and Oliver was the epidemy of a bad boy before the island. He had told her that Moira never grounded Thea and let her get away with everything. Felicity always wondered if their dad was the disciplinarian before he died.

“Not really. They gave Thea and I too much freedom. They tried, but I’m not sure they really knew how… Neither of their parents were really involved in their lives either.”

“Life of the rich and famous,” she mumbled softly. Felicity bit her lip when she realized she had said that out loud and threw a few punches in a row. When she pulled back and held her hands up in a defensive position she looked up at him. “I’m sorry. That sucks. At least you learned from your mistakes,” she added with a small smile.

For a moment a flash of emotion crossed his features, but he shut it down immediately. “Yeah. Hopefully, Thea will too – and a lot sooner than I did.”

Felicity nodded and went back to her training with a passion. She hit the bag while trying not to lose momentum – it’s a tricky balance for her. She enjoyed working off her frustrations, especially since she’d been in quite the dry spell for the past two years. It was starting to really get to her.

“Don’t throw all of your weight into the punch. Keep your balance – your stance – steady,” Oliver ordered. He patted her hip as a direction, but his fingers lingered slightly. She bit her tongue to keep her body from reacting to his touch. “Remember, plant your feet.” He held the bag up again and nodded.

“I got dis,” she whispered to herself before she began punching again, focusing all of her energy on the exercise. _Anything to distract myself from this fucking sexual tension_ , she thought to herself.

Felicity heard an odd choking noise coming from behind her. She froze in her steps, one fist against the punching bag. She glanced up to see Oliver and his bright blue eyes intensely gazing at her, his chest rising and falling at a faster rate than normal.

“How’s the training going?”

Felicity immediately swallowed and backed away from Oliver. In the same step she turned around to see Diggle staring at them while trying to hold back a smile.

Oliver cleared his throat. “It’s going well,” he said.

“Yeah.” She started taking off the boxing gloves and ignored both of the men’s eyes. Once they were off she mumbled, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Diggle smiled at her and nodded.

“Okay. We’re done anyway,” Oliver admitted.

Felicity agreed and quickly walked toward the bathroom. Once she closed the door she leaned against it and closed her eyes. “What the hell, Felicity? Why can’t I shut up.”

**….**

A little while later that day, Felicity was staring off into space bored out of her mind. She was sitting against the edge of the counter counting down the seconds until she could leave for the night. She had fought tooth and nail to avoid working such times, but it was a lost cause. She started working at Tech Village a couple of weeks ago and as the new girl she had to take the worst shifts – at least for the next few months. She had to work until closing a few days a week and they happened to be the slowest nights. Since her job was commission based she knew she was getting screwed with her new work schedule. Considering she was used to extreme situations every night, it was even worse. Normal and boring had suddenly become painful.

The only plus side was that it allowed Felicity to do something for Oliver in the middle of a shift once in a while, which was handy. However, this past week had been slow crime fighting wise. It was so slow that Roy and Felicity both had the night off. That didn’t happen often so they had made plans to meet up at The Tipsy Cow, a local restaurant and bar, after her shift.

She glanced at the clock across the large floor room and smiled to herself when she realized it was eight minutes to nine. “Thank the lord.” Felicity sighed in relief. She figured no one was coming in now, but she didn’t want to get in trouble by signing out early. Instead, she took her phone out of the back pocket of her heinous chinos and checked for messages quickly.

The only message she had was from Roy saying he was already at the bar. She shot him a quick reply saying she’d be there in fifteen before she slid her phone back into her pocket.

Although no customers were in the store, a shift manager was there doing work at his desk. She had no idea what could possibly be so important at Tech Village that couldn’t wait until tomorrow, but Mike wasn’t bad. He was a young guy who took his job seriously and Felicity could respect that. _At least he isn’t a disrespectful asshole_ , she reminded herself. _Even if he does have a stick up his butt._

She quickly went through the motions of signing out of her register. It took a bit of time since it was more complicated than she would have ever expected. Once she was done she looked up to see the clock hand hit eight fifty-nine. She sprinted to the front door and locked it in case someone decided to show up. There was always one ass hat who came in moments before closing whom expected everyone to stay an extra half-hour just for them. She looked around and noticed no one outside and let out a sigh. _It’s over_ , she told herself. _One more down… Only an unknown number of shifts to go._

She walked toward the back room and stopped at Mike’s desk. He was still hard at work. She knocked on the door to get his attention. When he looked up glassy eyed from his long hours of paperwork, she smiled at him. “Hey, I just locked the door and closed my register. Anything else you need me to do?”

He sat back in his chair before saying, “No. You can go. I’ll shut off the lights and finish closing up when I leave. Have a good night, Felicity.”

She slapped the door happily and said goodnight to Mike before heading for the backroom that held the employee lockers. She went to hers and grabbed her large blue handbag. She went to the bathroom and changed out of her uniform quickly so she wouldn’t be late.

For a couple of years, she had begun getting used to keeping a pair of extra clothes in her purse or backpack for emergencies. Now however, she kept an extra set of clothing with her so she would rarely have to be seen in her hideous kakis and collared shirt. Or you know, if some villain captured her and her clothing was stained with blood or something. A more likely reason would be her clothes smelled because she stayed at the foundry all night working on a new piece of code for one of their missions. But that didn’t sound as interesting or attractive, so she tried to keep that truth to herself.

She threw on a flowery skirt and a crop top before putting her ankle boots back on. She pushed her uniform in her purse, zipped it and threw it on her shoulder before walking out of the store.

She took an Uber to the Tipsy Cow, which was only five miles away from work. The bar was a popular and trendy place in the Glades. It had decent food and great drinks. Normally Felicity would go to a bar closer to her apartment that had better food, but it was near Verdant. It was a good place to be in case of a work crisis, so Roy, Felicity and John would go there sometimes over the past year. It’s now one of her favorite bars in the city. Thankfully Slade’s army didn’t demolish it – it’s one of the few locations in the Glades that was left almost completely untouched.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when the Uber driver said “We’re here” from the front seat of the sweaty smelling car.

She looked up from her phone to see the familiar bar outside the window. “Oh!” she gasped. She collected her things and smiled at the man. “Thanks, have a good night,” she mumbled as she swiftly got out of the car and walked toward the meeting spot.

She heard the car start up and drive away as she walked into the restaurant. There were people sitting at the bar, but otherwise the place was pretty quiet. “How many?” a woman at the front desk asked politely.

Felicity glanced at her before she responded, “I’m meeting someone.”

“Alright, go ahead,” the woman said with faked happiness. Felicity could hear it a mile away. The last thing this woman wanted to do was stand here and walk people to their tables. She understood completely. She looked around and found Roy sitting at a booth in the back corner of the restaurant. He was in their usual spot – you could see all important exits and doors from said location. “Found him,” she muttered to the disinterested woman.

Felicity caught his eye and walked towards the booth. He waved her over and smiled. Yet, the smile didn’t reach his eyes. _What’s going on with him_ , she thought to herself feeling bewildered. It had been almost two months and the funk Roy had been in wasn’t over. He’s still upset about something and he refused to talk about it.

When she reached the booth, she threw her handbag on the seat and scooted in.

“Hey,” Roy mumbled before taking a sip of his beer.

“Hey, you,” Felicity replied happily. “It feels good to sit down and relax.”

“How was work?”

She unzipped her purse and placed her phone in it. “It was boring and uneventful, but fine. There is no way I made much tonight. I only sold two things, but whatever. How’s the bar?”

Roy shrugged. “The place is fine.” He paused momentarily before adding, “I’m making decent tips and girls have been flirting with me.”

Felicity reached across the small table and pushed his shoulder softly in a gesture of support. “That’s great! Did you get a girl’s number?” she asked, trying not to be too pushy.

“They weren’t my type.” She looked behind her to where Roy’s eyes were focused. She rolled her eyes when she realized he was watching a game. She glared at Roy until he noticed. “What?” he asked irritated.

“I see you didn’t miss my company much.”

He scoffed and glanced at the television. “The game is in overtime.”

Felicity nodded and waved down a waitress.

“Do you want anything to eat?” she asked feeling ravenous.

“Wings and fries sound good,” he muttered while clearly distracted.

A woman in her twenties walked over. “Hi, I’m Anne. Can I get you anything?”

“Yea. I’d like a burger – medium -  and we’d like to share some Cajun fries and buffalo wings.”

She scratched the order down on a notepad. “Anything else?”

“Oh yeah, I’d like a vodka tonic, light on the tonic.”

“May I see your ID?”

“No,” Roy hissed loudly.

Felicity flinched and looked up at him. She realized he was talking about the game, so she shook her head in amusement and went about her business. She grabbed her wallet and gave the waitress her license. “Here,” she muttered while handing it to Anne.

“Great, your drink should be out shortly,” the waitress mentioned before handing her Felicity’s license.

“Thanks.”

Felicity threw her wallet into her handbag. “Did your team lose?” she asked curiously.

Roy sighed and scratched his head, never taking his eyes off the television screen. “We’re about to...”

“Damn, sorry.”

He shook his head and tore his eyes away from the last seconds of the baseball game. He took a sip of beer and swallowed.

“Do you think you’ll be working at the bar for long?” she asked hesitantly. He didn’t like talking about his job, but he didn’t like talking about much lately. He was even less chatty than usual and that’s saying something.

“Not sure,” he answered shortly while still staring at the tv screen.

Felicity grinned at her friend sadly. “Have you thought about getting your GED? It might make getting a job easier.”

He smirked. “Says the woman working at Tech Village who has a masters from MIT,” he added dryly.

 “Good point,” she conceded.

“I was thinking of being a waiter. I need a day job. Bartending isn’t the best considering my _other_ career.”

She hummed in agreement and took a sip of her drink that was just brought to the booth. “Agreed. I miss my nine-to-five job. Life was simple then – well, as simple as a leading a double life could be.”

Roy glanced at her and raised his eyebrows in amusement. “Working for my girlfriend and her brother in the same building was _easier_ , that’s for sure,” he said sarcastically.

Felicity snorted as she took a sip of the vodka tonic and Roy laughed softly in response. She put the glass down and closed her eyes momentarily. When she opened them again she smiled at her friend and said, “Speaking of Thea and Oliver, I had a surprising call today.”

Roy snapped to attention. “Who?”

“Walter Steele.”

“Thea’s step-dad? Why would he call _you_?”

“It isn’t that shocking… I mean, I was his favorite tech employee at Queen Consolidated,” Felicity retorted defensively.

“Felicity, why did he call you?”

She sighed and leaned against the back of the booth. She grimaced before responding. “He wanted to talk to me about Oliver trying to get the company back. He said he would support Oliver’s decision either way, but he also said he wanted to talk to me first because he knows how _close_ we are. He thought I might have some ideas.”

Roy grinned foolishly at her. “Walter called you because he thinks you’re Oliver’s girlfriend?” he asked disbelief written all over his face.

Whining, she nodded swiftly.

“ _Okay,_ so what did you tell him?”

She took a large gulp of the vodka and winced as she swallowed the hard liquor. “I told him the truth. What was I supposed to do?” she whined while shaking her head. “Oliver _has_ spoken about the company, but I’m not sure he’s interested in starting up _anything_ related to Oliver Queen again. At least that’s what I’ve heard… I doubt he’s going to try to take the company back, but I told Mr. Steele to contact Oliver and ask him to dinner to talk about it.” She glanced at Roy feeling embarrassed. “I also kind of babbled about how I wish Oliver did take the company back because my soul is dying at Tech Village. I didn’t mean to mention it, but you know, when I’m surprised I tend to ramble especially when speaking to CEO’s.” She sighed. “It’s a problem.”

Roy nodded enthusiastically. “Yes. It _is_ a problem, especially with handsome CEOs.”

Felicity rolled her eyes happily at her friends teasing. “Anyway, Walter also mentioned his thoughts on Queen Consolidated hiring me back, whether or not Oliver or Walter are involved with the company – he said he still had some favors he could cash in with the board members. I don’t know what to do. I didn’t accept the offer because I felt it was weird. I mean, I know I deserve the job… He came to me over a year ago because he knew my record, my value to the company, but it still feels wrong.”

Roy shrugged while watching the tv behind her once again. His eyes never leaving the screen he said, “Don’t worry about it. Wait and see what Oliver decides. If he takes over again, then you know you have a job. If he doesn’t, then think about the offer.”

Felicity nodded seriously while finishing her glass. “Solid plan,” she decided. She looked around and mumbled, “I really need food.”

She felt the familiar vibration of her phone and quickly picked it up. “Speaking of…” she mumbled before clicking accept and putting the phone to her ear.

Suddenly all business Felicity asked, “Hey, you need something?”

She tilted her head in thought, listening to Oliver closely. Her eyes darted around the bar, scanning for possible onlookers. The last thing Felicity needed right now was someone suspecting her of being involved with a vigilante. When the coast was clear she sighed heavily.

“No. She’s not in the U.S… Yes, I’m sure. I’ve crossed off one country so yay me… I promise we’ll know more soon.” She rolled her eyes at Roy, who was clearly amused by her sarcasm. “I know. It doesn’t usually take this much time, but she’s good. She knows how to hide – maybe we should start calling her Borne…” Felicity bit her lip to keep herself from ranting because who knew where that could have gone. She preferred to avoid all references to the drunken movie night.

“Do you need us tonight for anything else? Yes, _us_. You know, _me and Roy_ , we’re at a bar tonight.”

Roy looked up at her, waiting to see if they were getting called in. When she shook her head at him he relaxed into the booth and waved over the waitress to get them another round of drinks.

“Okay, thanks. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Call if you need anything else,” she added before hanging up.

Once the waitress walked away Roy glanced at Felicity. “Did he just call about White?” he inquired, sounding as interested as a man watching paint dry or someone listening to Felicity rant about the American government’s lack of efficient oversight of the cyber- criminal underworld.

 “Yeah. He wants to know where she is.”

He grinned at her. “And he’s frustrated with you for the _hundredth_ time because you’re not getting the information fast enough…”

She leaned against the back of the booth, settling into the comfortable seat before responding. “Oliver seems to think I’m capable of finding anything or anyone with a computer in the span of a few minutes. I think my hacking abilities have spoiled him. I have to say between boxing and target practice I’ve been a hell of a lot less frustrated than I usually would be by now – it’s been over a _month._ I always get answers and right now I’m ready to scream at this damn woman. She’s pissing me off.”

Roy chuckled lightly. “He’s always impatient, but I don’t blame him or you. It’s not easy waiting.”

“Okay. Your burger should be out in a minute but here are your order of wings and fries,” Anne muttered with a too large smile on her face – it was a bit unnatural. She set the plates down on the table and left after Roy and Felicity both thanked her.

“Oh, thank the lord,” Felicity muttered under her breath as she looked on hungrily at the beautiful fried potatoes and juicy wings.

They both relaxed into conversation as they drank and ate as the night went on without any more disturbances. They had finished the wings and fries with a speed that would make Barry proud. By the time Felicity was halfway through her burger, she was beginning to lose her patience. It had been months and he was still acting oddly. He was clearly hiding something.

“Come on! Can we please play two truths and one lie?” Felicity begged in between bites.

Roy sighed and took another sip of his beer. “Fine. You have one guess. If you get it wrong, you’re paying for my drinks and no second guesses. After, you have to drop the conversation.”

She clapped happily. “I’m great at this game, so deal. You go first!” She took a sip of her wine – she switched to wine after the one vodka tonic – and waited.

“How do you always get me to play these games.”

She shrugged and smiled innocently. “It’s not at all because I wear you down for hours... That _can’t_ be why.”

Roy glared at her, but agreed. He licked his lips, deep in thought. He took a sip of his beer and avoided her eyes. “1. I’m still in love with Thea. 2. Thea left Starling City because of me. 3. My mom didn’t abandon me.”

She put her glass down and took in the options momentarily.

“It isn’t one and I know why Thea left, so it isn’t two. But you told me once that your mom left when you were young… So, it can’t be three. Wait, are you saying you think Thea left because of you? That’s _not_ true at all, but I know one is true and three is a lie, so that means you think two is true... The lie must be three.”

She watched his body language as he averted his eyes to the television once again.

“Roy, is there something you haven’t told me? I mean – I know you’ve been hiding something.” When he didn’t flinch or glance in her direction she threw a napkin at him. He glared at her in response. “ _Yea,_ I just threw a napkin at you. It didn’t even hit you. _I don’t care_. It got your attention at least. What’s the answer?”

Roy looked away uncomfortably, his neck muscles bulging. Her eyes widened in surprise. “I’m right,” she whispered to herself. When he didn’t deny it, she grasped his forearm that was resting on the table and made eye contact with him. “Hey,” she said softly. “We don’t have to play. I’m sorry… But I’m your friend, Roy. You can tell me anything. I mean, _anything..._ Just tell me the truth, did something happen between you and Thea before she left?”

 _Why does Roy think Thea left because of him?_ she thought to herself. _Something doesn’t add up._

Roy moved his arm away from Felicity’s grasp suddenly. He began watching the game again and pursed his lips, just like Oliver did when he’s trying not to talk about something emotional.

_Roy needs to spend some time away from Oliver... Soon, he’ll be a freaky mini-me of Oliver Queen. A brooding guilt filled masked vigilante by night and a brooding, handsome and emotionally constipated man by day._

Roy scoffed and crossed his arms.

“What?” Felicity inquired curiously.

He closed his eyes and smiled slightly. He opened his eyes and tilted his head at Felicity, who sat across from him at the booth feeling utterly confused. “You said that out loud.”

 “Of course, I did,” she muttered as she shook her head in annoyance.

“For the record I don’t try to be emotionally constipated… _Althou_ g _h_ Oliver is gifted at it,” he teased.

She laughed a little. “Oh yeah, you have _no_ idea.”

He sighed. “You were right – the lie was three.”

“I know,” Felicity mused. She grimaced once she realized what that must have sounded like. “Sorry…. But Roy what happened?” Felicity forcefully inquired.

Roy glanced at Felicity, a sadness clearly evident in his eyes. Suddenly, he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He silently handed it to her before saying, “I don’t think she is where she says she is.”

“What? Why would she lie?” Felicity asked as she opened the note. As Felicity eyes scanned the handwritten letter by Thea, she felt a chill creep up her neck. Once she was finished reading she handed him the note. “Roy, Oliver needs to see this. This is his sister we’re talking about.”

Roy put the note back in his pocket and shook his head forcefully in disagreement. “No. This is my fault. He’s going to kill me,” Roy admitted.

She raised her eyebrows in shock. “But what if she’s in trouble?”

“What if she’s not? What if she just needs space?” he insisted.

Felicity crossed her arms. “She’s had months and thousands of miles of space. Oliver needs to see this and _you_ need to show it to him.” She put up a hand to silence him. "He deserves to know the truth. In the mean time, I need Thea's number. I have some work to do," Felicity said with a comforting smile on her face. "Don't worry. We'll deal with this together." 


	12. Corto Maltese Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team goes to Corto Maltese to bring home Thea, but things don't go according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a 2 parter or maybe even 3. I'm having a lot of fun with this since some of the scenes/lines are taken directly from the show, episodes 2 and three. 
> 
> Hopefully I'll get the next chapter in by next friday, but writing is going slowly and I'm really sick right now. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the update!

**July 16 2014**

 

Felicity unlocked her door, opening it swiftly, and threw her things on the side table. She set the three bolts on her door like she did every night and tossed her heels off in one motion. “Why do I continue to punish myself by wearing those torture devices,” she muttered under her breath as she walked to the living room of her apartment. She grabbed her laptop and collapsed on the couch, getting to work immediately. She sighed heavily as she began typing away.

It was already two in the morning, but she had no time to waste. Roy had promised her that he would tell Oliver once Felicity had a location on Thea. She wanted to get the ball rolling now because she couldn’t stand lying to Oliver for another day.

She knew she might have to leave a trace running for at least an hour considering the calls from Thea were international. But, first she had to hack into Oliver’s wireless provider, which wouldn’t take long. She needed to get the number Thea was calling from and since she couldn’t ask him, she needed to hack her way to the answer. She assumed it was her cell phone, but she couldn’t be sure. If she wanted to stay hidden and was possibly lying about her location in Europe then Felicity had to be positive. If she could get any surveillance footage of Thea in the process, then that would be the icing on the cake.

Once she started the trace, she decided to go take a quick shower to save her the time in the morning. Forty minutes after she got home she walked back into her living room toweling off her hair wearing a pair of silky shorts and a tank top. She sat down on the couch and froze staring at the screen. She assumed it would take longer, but clearly Thea didn’t hide herself well enough because she found the girl’s location way too easily. She scrolled down to find the location dot on the map. “Well that’s not Europe,” she muttered while groaning. “Frack.”

 

The sound of heels hitting pavement reverberated throughout the street.

“I don’t know about this, Felicity,” he groaned.

“It will be okay, I promise.”

“You don’t know that.”

She rolled her eyes at his tone. She stopped in front of her car and struggled to balance talking on her phone while holding her handbag and the coffee she was grasping tightly with her other hand as she attempted to find her keys. “Frack,” she grumbled as a little coffee spilled on her blouse.

“Felicity, focus,” Roy pleaded.

She sighed and placed her coffee cup on the roof of her car. “Okay. I’m focusing,” she declared.

“He will _kill_ me.”

“Roy, he won’t kill you. I promise. Heck, if he does, then I’ll make sure he is punished. Maybe no tv for a week? Or maybe I’ll turn him into the authorities as punishment. Either way you will not be forgotten,” she deadpanned.

“That’s not funny. You’ve been on the team longer, but he seems plenty capable to me.”

“Oh, he’s capable, _very capable_ , but he won’t hurt you. Well, not again at least. That arrow through the leg thing was an unfortunate event… Would it make you feel better if I told you I’ll stop by the foundry in a couple of hours? I need to spend some serious time on White – plus, we have a meeting, so I need to be there anyway. You can tell him shortly before I get there – that way he won’t have plenty of time to hide your body?”

“Funny… But, okay. Just don’t be late.”

Felicity shook her head and smiled as she watched someone walk by her. “That would be much easier to promise if I wasn’t distracted spending hours on the phone with you today,” she replied.

“It hasn’t been hours... I’ll see you soon. Bye.”

“Bye,” Felicity mused into her phone before ending the call and throwing it in her purse. Now that she could fully focus on the task at hand she found her keys almost instantaneously. She grabbed her coffee off the roof and opened the door. She slammed the car door closed and leaned her head against the head rest. “This is going to be a long day,” she muttered to herself. It was only nine in the morning, but she felt like a car had run over her – granted she already spent two hours with Oliver working out this morning. “I’m glad I got the triple shot.”

 

Felicity walked down the stairs to the foundry a couple of hours later, just as she had promised Roy. When she reached the bottom step the sight in front of her was startling. Oliver was on the phone, pacing in circles, and Roy was holding an arrow watching on with an expression of guilt written all over his features. She quickly started listening to the phone call, hoping it wasn’t some horrible news.

“Thea, I don’t know if you’re getting these messages but call me back. Please… Bye.”

She shot a questioning look toward Roy. He shook his head and mouthed no to her. He didn’t tell Oliver yet, Felicity realized. She put her handbag down on her desk.

“Hi,” Oliver said.

She smiled at him. “Hey,” she replied tensely.

She immediately turned around and sprinted toward the bathroom. Felicity partially shut the door and huddled near the opening, straining to hear the conversation. If it wasn’t such a serious moment, she’d be joking about the absurdity of her subtle escape to the bathroom of the vigilante lair to overhear the Arrow and Arsenal talking about a girl for years to come.

“Okay,” Oliver muttered to himself sensing the oddity of the moment.

Roy was standing near him looking off into the distance while gripping the edge of the table. “That’s not going to happen,” Roy stated while staring at Oliver.

“What?” he asked Roy roughly.

“Thea’s not going to call you back,” Roy stated firmly before walking over to Oliver and handing him the letter.

Oliver opened the wrinkled piece of paper and began to read when Roy spoke up. “It was during the siege. We were going to run away together, but I couldn’t leave without helping you fight first. She found out. I didn’t say anything because this is my fault. She knew I was lying to her the entire time. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about the letter… I know that I should have.”

Oliver watched Roy closely and recognized the look of regret that was etched in his features. He didn’t like the idea of Thea running away or of Roy lying about it. However, he understood why. He could sense the nerves radiating off of Roy.

His throat had begun to tighten when he calmly said, “Okay.”

Roy looked startled at his reaction, which told him he did the right thing. He was frustrated by not enough to take it out on the kid. Sure, he was twenty-one, but that still counts.

Felicity waited until she heard footsteps on the stairs and the door close. She stopped herself from walking into the room for a moment and as she was about to take hold of the handle her eyes went wide _. How can I explain staying in the bathroom this whole time?_ She rolled her eyes and leaned over to flush the toilet. She waited a moment longer and then walked out of the bathroom slowly surveying the room. _Good, nothing’s broken. At least and Oliver isn’t punching anything,_ she though positively to herself.

She stopped in her tracks when she noticed Oliver sitting on a stool hunched over with his hands running through his hair. She couldn’t see his face, but she knew he was frustrated. She wasn’t sure what to say so she walked over to her desk and sat down.

“You heard everything, didn’t you?” Oliver asked.

She whipped her head up to see him staring at her, his eyes all too knowing. _How can he be so observant and obtuse at the same time?_ she marveled.

She smiled sadly at him and nodded. “How did you know?”

“Either Roy told you or you overheard by the bathroom door. Or both.” When she looked at him startled he added, “you didn’t shut the door until it clicked.”

She scowled and muttered, “I’d make a despicable Nancy Drew apparently.”

He tilted his head at her and smiled.

She threw her hands up in the air dramatically before admitting, “Anyway, yes I knew and I listened to the entire conversation.” She pushed her glasses up with her hand. “Are you okay?” she finally asked hesitantly.

They’ve always been friends and that would never change.

His jaw tightened and she noticed him rubbing his two fingers together like he always did when stressed. “Yes, but it isn’t Roy’s fault. It’s mine.”

Felicity stood up and walked toward him in quick strides – thankfully, he wasn’t far away. She grasped his arm lightly and looked him in his eyes. “Hey, you can’t blame yourself for everything.”

There were plenty of things for him to feel guilty about, but the situation between Roy and Thea wasn’t one of the large ones.

“I forced Roy to lie to her. She would never have left like that if I hadn’t lied too,” he retorted.

She sighed and licked her lips to by her a moment to think. “Oliver, you thought you were protecting her at the time – and maybe that was the wrong call – but he didn’t have to listen to you. Roy _could_ have told Thea. You might not have forgiven him, but that’s another story,” she quickly deflected. She scrunched her nose up at her moment of rambling. “Maybe you should stop protecting people by lying, but that doesn’t mean this is solely your fault. Nor is it all Roy’s fault. Thea made the choice to leave because she needed space. I don’t blame her for wanting an escape route. A lot happened recently… However, if you feel you made a mistake, then you should fix it.”

“I think it’s time Thea came home.”

She patted his arm lightly and continued, “Plus, I know where she is.”

“Where who is?” Dig asked.

Felicity turned around and raised her hands in surprise. “How did I not hear you come in!” she gasped.

He smiled at her. “Felicity, what have I told you about keeping track of your surroundings?” Dig chastised her.

She frowned and mumbled, “I’d get an F if this was graded, wouldn’t I?”

John crossed his arms and nodded.

Felicity rolled her eyes at his semi-intimidating response. If she didn’t know how much of a teddy bear the man was, then she’d be scared. In reality his threats were harmless. Well, at least toward Felicity anyways. If a man wearing a ski mask robbed a bank right now, Dig would hurt that man with only his trigger finger. No gun would be needed in the process.

Felicity walked to her computer and sat down to get to work. She needed to open up her findings on Thea’s location.

The door opened and Roy walked down the stairs to join them. Oliver and Roy nodded at each other and Oliver slid into business mode. “Dig, Thea isn’t where she said she is – it’s a long story, but it’s time I visit my sister.”

Dig looked between the group and nodded. “Okay. Where’s Thea then?”

Felicity hit a few keys and a map popped up. “Well, first of all, she isn’t in Italy or anywhere in Europe. After a little work and re-routing her pinned location on her phone and about a handful of bounced cell tower signals, I found her. It was surprisingly complex for someone who only graduated high school and has little tech knowledge, but it wasn’t that good. You know I can -.”

“Felicity.”

“Oh, sorry. She’s in Corto Maltese,” Felicity interjected.

Dig glanced at Oliver. “Corto’s an island off of South America. What’s up with your family and islands?”

“Yep,” Felicity whispered in agreement.

Oliver glared at Dig before walking towards the desk, Roy following him. Felicity watched the conversation out of the corner of her eye.

“Hey, Oliver… Thea said not to come find her. Are you sure about this?” Roy asked nervously.

“That letter was addressed to you, not to me… I need to fix my mistakes and that starts with bringing my sister home.”

Roy nodded and walked over to his compound bow. Oliver took a step forward and furrowed his brows. “What are you doing?”

“Thea left because of me. Because the lies that I told her, so I owe this to both of you to make things right.”

“No. What are you… _doing_? You can’t travel with that.”

Roy looked at the bow he was holding and it hit him. “Oh… well, I’ve never actually been on a plane before,” he admitted shyly.

Oliver, Dig and Felicity shared amused looks before Oliver agreed and shook his head smiling. Dig followed after him and grabbed his arm. Oliver turned in surprise. “Yeah.”

“Oliver, I have a bad feeling about Corto Maltese… Why did she choose that location? It’s far away and with little technology. It’s the type of location someone trained would chose to hide, not a kid straight out of high school.”

“What’s your point?”

“I should come with you,” John decided loudly.

Felicity tilted her head up to watch the two men. “If Dig and Roy are going, I’m coming too,” Felicity declared.

Oliver glanced at Felicity before focusing again on Dig. “You have a baby on the way. You should stay with Lyla.”

Dig chuckled and added, “Actually, she’s been given a lighter schedule at work since she’s starting to show now and had to tell Waller – not many active missions anymore. She’s getting sick of me.”

Felicity snorted, “No way is Lyla upset because you spend _too_ much time together.”

He tilted his head at Felicity in a semi patronizing way – a way only John Diggle could get away with. “Imagine staying at home more often when you’re used to always being out in the field. She’s dealing with constant mood swings, ankle swelling, food cravings, nausea and having a partner who hovers over her constantly.”

Felicity shrugged and got back to work. “I guess that’s valid. I’d probably want to kill my husband at that point for even just breathing too close to me,” Felicity admitted freely.

Roy coughed loudly and walked by Felicity. As he did so, he leaned forward and muttered under his breath, “What a lucky man.”

Felicity gasped and pointed a finger at Roy in anger. He held his hands up in mock surrender, clearly taunting her.

“Don’t you _dare_. I’d be a wonderful pregnant woman. Any man would be lucky to get me, you brat!” She looked around at the group and realized she shouted the last part. Maybe she was more worried about Thea than she thought, or was it something else? Who knows.

“What?” she asked with fawned innocence. “Roy gets under my skin. What else can I say... Any who, if Dig goes I’m going. We might as well make it a team thing; too bad we can’t write it off as a business trip. I doubt the IRS would look highly on me declaring it as such. In our off time I could even try getting a tan…”

Oliver waited patiently for Felicity to stop babbling. Once she did he nodded at Dig. “Okay, if Lyla agrees then we can all go.”

“I’ll talk to her tonight over dinner.”

“Hey, guys? Do you think Walter would lend us his jet? He loves Thea… It would make the trip a lot easier and less expensive since none of us are getting paid well anymore,” Felicity wondered aloud.

“How do you know Walter has a jet?” Oliver inquired slowly.

Felicity’s eyes went wide. She quickly looked down and pretended to be busy. “He’s still rich, isn’t he? I mean, he didn’t get his money from your mom. He was CEO of the company for years.”

Oliver seemed pacified. “True. I’ve been meaning to set up a lunch with him. I’ll give him a call.”

 

The next day, Felicity was dragging her suitcase behind her as she and Roy were walking down the runway toward Walter’s jet.

When Oliver asked Walter to use the plane for such a purpose yesterday, he was more than accommodating. The second Walter heard Oliver was going to visit Thea, he practically handed the man his credit card. In fact, Walter paid for a suite at an expensive resort on the island for them to share. Although Oliver tried to turn it down, he didn’t have the heart.

Walter lost Moira too, even if they weren’t together at the time. It was a difficult time for all of them. When Thea had left without saying goodbye, Walter had taken it hard.

 Felicity knew it was wrong to take such a large gift, but on the other hand they were all incredibly broke, so it was convenient as heck.

It was also handy that Walter had a deal with a small airport in Starling City where they could just walk up to the plane without going through security. That way Felicity could bring coms, and Dig his gun, without any issues or questions. They still left the bows at home though. No need to rouse any suspicions. Anyhow, that’s how they ended up walking on an airport runway without any security chasing them right now.

However, it felt odd considering the level of poverty she witnessed growing up in Las Vegas. The way some people wouldn’t even pat an eye about lending someone a plane baffled her. _Rich people_ , she thought to herself, content with the knowledge that although she knew many wealthy folks, she was determined to never become blind to the real world.

Suddenly Felicity swore under her breath as she felt her suitcase hit something and twist in her hand. She quickly righted it and was about to start walking again when Roy put his hand on the handle.

“Felicity, just let me pull it. This is ridiculous. The wheels are old and it’s heavy. You should have gotten new luggage last year when you were making bank,” Roy muttered.

 “I wasn’t really worried about outdated luggage wheels at the time… A few things came up.” When he looked unimpressed she gave in and handed him her bag. It wasn’t worth the fight, especially since Roy was only trying to be helpful. He didn’t mean it as a dig at her independence so she shut down the immediate response she’s had since she was two – “Self! Self!” – and kept walking. At least she was still carrying her own backpack and if she was completely honest, it was heavy as hell.

“Why did you bring so much stuff? We’re only going to be gone for a few days?”

The sound of footsteps and wheels resumed again as they made their way to the jet. They were almost at the plane.

“My backpack has all of my equipment. My suitcase has everything else I might need for a work or vacation situation: including clothes, footwear, makeup, toiletries and a couple of books... And at least one sunhat.”

They were only going for a few days so she tried not to bring a massive suitcase and she didn’t. She brought a medium sided bag. Of course, Roy only brought a backpack with a few items, but that’s beside the point. They were going to an _island._ The only other island Felicity had ever been to was Lian Yu, so she had to be prepared for all possible occasions. There was no way in hell she wouldn’t use this trip as a small vacation in between bringing Thea home.

“Okay. Besides seeing Thea, I don’t think we have much to do.”

“I know,” Felicity mused as they reached the plane. “I hope I get a tan. I brought a bathing suit.”

Roy lifted the bag and started up the steps, Felicity following right behind him. Once they reached the inside of the plane Felicity and Roy were greeted by a man.

“Hello, may I take your bags?”

Roy handed him his things awkwardly. “Thank you.”

Felicity looked around confused. “Where is Mr. Queen and John Diggle?” she asked the man in a uniform.

“They should be here momentarily Ms. Smoak,” he replied smiling happily.

“Okay, thanks. I’ll keep my backpack.”

“Yes, miss. I’ll go store the luggage now.” He rushed off carrying the two bags.

“Where the hell are they?”

Felicity bit her lip and took out her cell phone. “I’m going to find out.”

The call went through almost immediately. “Felicity, Hi. I’m sorry we’re late. We’re on the runway now,” Oliver said.

She walked to the exit and saw three figures running toward her. “Why is Lyla with you?”

Oliver replied curtly, “It’s a long story.”

“Kay. We’re on the plane FYI.”

“Great. See you soon.”

She hung up and smirked at Roy. “Well, this should be interesting.”

Roy shrugged. “Pick your seat. I want to watch a few movies today – might as well use the hours wisely.”

Felicity shook her head in amusement - nothing rattled Roy - and pointed at the two comfortable looking seats facing the front of the plane. “Those?”

“Great,” Roy hummed as he picked up Felicity’s backpack and went to sit down in the seat.

Felicity decided to wait by the door.

Lyla appeared in front of her first. “Hi, Felicity!” she beamed as she took the blonde in her arms happily for a quick squeeze before moving aside to let the two guys in.

“Are you okay,” Felicity asked quickly.

Lyla looked confused. “Yes, I’m great. ARGUS just needs something on Corto Maltese so I thought I would join.”

Felicity immediately relaxed. “Oh, okay. Maybe we can fit in a little girl time.”

“I hope so - I need a little mama time before the baby comes.”

Oliver and Dig both walked up quickly and threw their bags down. While Dig gave Felicity a hug in greeting, the unnamed man spoke with Oliver.

“Hello, Mr. Queen.”

Oliver’s shoulders relaxed. “Hi, Mark. It’s been a while. How’s your son, Evan?”

The man’s eyes brightened immediately. “He’s wonderful. Just turned three.” He lifted the bags and addressed him again. “We are ready to take off whenever you are. Is this the whole party?”

Felicity looked around and noticed Lyla and Dig were already seated close together on the opposite side of Roy and Felicity. Lyla was resting her head on his shoulder and Dig lightly traced her stomach with his fingers. It was unexpected considering Dig’s comments yesterday, but utterly adorable at the same time. She went and sat down as well.

“Everyone’s here. Thanks, Mark,” Oliver replied calmly.

“We’ll be off in 15 then. I’ll be your co-pilot today.”

“Great.”

Oliver walked over to a seat and sat down across from Felicity and Roy. “Hey, Felicity,” he greeted smiling. “What are you wearing?” he asked as he glanced at her shorts.

Lyla snorted and turned her head to glance at them. “She’s wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Why is that surprising?”

This morning Felicity had decided to go ridiculously casual for herself: a white tank top, a long grey comfy cardigan, ripped jean shorts and strappy flat sandals.

“I’ve rarely, if ever, seen you wearing shorts.”

Felicity shrugged. “I’m on a plane and it isn’t business related. Do you think I liked wearing a skintight dress for fifteen hours for our trip to Russia? I only wore that because other business associates were also on the flight. You usually see me at work and on my way to or from work. Hence, the gorgeous collection of clothing.”

Roy smirked at her and put his feet up. “You work at Tech Village now,” he pointed out.

Dig laughed.

Felicity rolled her eyes and pulled her legs up to get comfortable. “Fine, but what do you expect? When I worked with you I had to upgrade my wardrobe. I have a miraculous collection of dresses now. How can I _not_ wear them?” she admitted.

Lyla smiled at the group. “I’ve never been one to think about my wardrobe, but if you own them you might as well. Today though, it was a good choice to choose comfort over fashion,” Lyla agreed.

Felicity tilted her head at the woman and said, “Thank you.” She glanced at all of the men and declared, “This is why we need more women around.”

“What, so more people can agree with you?” Roy teased.

“Please, you all know I’m always right.” She wrapped the soft cardigan around herself.

 They were in for a long flight.

“Please buckle up. We are about to take off,” a voice on the overhead coms demanded kindly.

After a few hours in the air, Lyla was asleep, Dig was reading a book, Oliver was looking off into space, like always, and Felicity and Roy were relaxing in their seats watching a second movie on Felicity’s laptop. They decided to go for Stella Got her Groove back because Felicity demanded a film involving an island of some sorts with no violence or castaways; that wasn’t as easy as she had imagined.

Felicity was cuddled up in a fuzzy blanket she brought and they both had one ear bud in so they could listen to the film without disturbing Lyla or John.

“Why do you love Taye Diggs so much?” Roy whispered. “Isn’t he in his forties now.”

Felicity was leaning her head against his arm watching the film closely – it was easier since they had to share a set of headphones. “It doesn’t matter how old that man is. He will always look like a god – if he can be on New Girl as a hot one-night stand for Jess, then he is not too old for me,” Felicity whispered back.

“Why do you watch that show?”

Felicity shrugged. “I need a laugh once in a while, but Jess and Nick broke up so it’s probably not going to be funny anymore. I really can’t stand the idea of another Rachel and Ross fiasco. _Will they? Won’t they?_ It’s boring television, especially when all they do is fight or bring out the worst in each other.”

Roy smiled as he stared at the screen. “You know, you really need to stop getting invested in television romances. It’s a bit sad... You really need to get some.”

She gasped softly and pulled her earbud out. “How dare you, Roy. It’s healthy to enjoy a good romance on screen. And I do _not_ want to hear you say that ever again. Ever again. You hear me?” she demanded.

He covered his mouth to muffle a laugh and nodded, pretending to be serious.

She rolled her eyes at his faked enthusiasm, replacing the ear bud and resting her head on his shoulder again. “Okay, fine. I do, but all I want is a healthy relationship portrayed on screen. Is that too much to ask for?”

Roy tilted his head so he could gently hit Felicity’s head playfully. “I have no idea what a healthy relationship is, so maybe,” he admitted honestly.

She hummed in agreement, forcing herself to focus on the laptop instead of the man sitting across from them. She hoped he hadn’t heard that conversation, but if he had she wasn’t annoyed. It was the truth. If Oliver kept up with his crap, then she would undoubtedly move on with little to no remorse for what they could have had. _It’s his loss_ , she reminded herself. As she watched the film she wondered to herself, _I hear you, Stella. I need to get my groove back as well._

 

 

 


	13. Corto Maltese Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow and friends arrive in Corto Maltese. While Oliver meets up with Thea to try and talk her into coming home, Felicity spends her free time on the beach. Oliver, Dig and Lyla meet up with the ARGUS agent and Roy talks to Thea. Later on, we catch up with the group of friends going out to dinner on vacation, which doesn’t go exactly as planned for everyone. 
> 
> Felicity gets her groove back...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during season 3 episode Corto Maltese. There is little action in the chapter because I decided those scenes went as they did in the show, same as Roy and Oliver’s conversations with Thea on the day they arrive.  
> This chapter was way longer than I expected, so it took me a while. I’m going to add a part 3 so I can get this chapter in sooner and because I really don’t see the need in writing over 10,000 words in one chapter. It’s a bit much!  
> I’m really excited about what’s to come in the next chapter.  
> FYI: If you want an idea of who I imagine Mateo looks like... Google the actor Joe Locicero.

The five of them walked into the hotel suite slowly, feeling jet lagged from the over 10-hour flight. However, it was in the middle of the day so they refused to go to sleep.

Felicity dragged her suitcase behind her as she reached the main room and looked around. The large room was filled with sunlight from the windows that looked over the ocean. The rooms were stunning with bright walls, dark wood flooring and hints of bright blues, greens and oranges everywhere. The furnishings were tasteful for a beachy South American location yet screamed of a high-end hotel. It was a balance that Felicity had never witnessed. A small kitchenette of white cabinetry, marble countertops, stainless-steel appliances and a kitchen island were attached to the main living room. She glanced around and noticed three open white doorways, two on her left and one on her right, that led to luxurious bedrooms.

“Holy crap – this place is bitchin’,” Felicity mumbled under her breath.

Oliver smiled at her. “There are only three bedrooms and all of them have king sized beds. We planned on Dig and Roy flipping a coin for it. But since Lyla’s here, you have the pullout couch, Roy,” Oliver stated calmly.

“No problem. I’m sure it’s more comfortable than my own bed,” Roy agreed.

Lyla frowned. “Are you sure? Dig and I could get our own room if you want it.”

Roy waved off her concerns. “Believe me, I’m good.”

“Okay… Who wants what room?”

“Each bedroom has their own full bath. Why don’t you and Dig share the room to the right? You’ll have more privacy,” Oliver mentioned.

“Sounds good,” Dig agreed. He grabbed Lyla’s luggage and his duffle bag and walked to the bedroom to put away their things.

Felicity glanced between the two bedrooms left, but stayed quiet.

“I’ll take the room closest to the entrance. Felicity you can have the bedroom with the balcony,” Oliver decided.

Felicity smiled “Sweet.” She wheeled her suitcase to her room and put her stuff down next to the bed.

Roy put his backpack on the ground next to the large couch. “So, what’s the plan?” he asked.                                        

“Do you mind if I talk to her alone first? It’s been a while,” Oliver asked quietly. Roy nodded in agreement. “Felicity, have you been able to pin down her exact location yet?” he added, yelling slightly so she could hear him from the other room.

“Yep! I’ve got an address… I’m pretty sure it’s where she’s staying. Will you need me for anything else today? I was thinking of hanging out by the beach. I’ll keep my tablet and phone with me though,” she responded as she went through her backpack to find the needed supplies.

Dig chimed in from the other room, “Lyla and I will stay here for now. Oliver, once you’re done talking to Thea, let us know. I know you wanna back us up.”

“Okay. I’ll text when I’m done,” Oliver agreed.

Felicity left the bedroom with her tablet in hand, typing away. She sat on a chair in the living room, so she could focus entirely on her work screen without worrying about tripping on something. “Oliver,” she stated to get his attention. Once he was back in the main room looking at her she continued. “I just sent you the address – It’s far so I’d take a taxi, not a motorbike.”

He checked his phone when her text went through and nodded in agreement. “I’m going to head out now. Keep your phone on.” He turned to walk out of the hotel suite, but paused before opening the door. “Have fun,” he added.

“Thanks!” Felicity mused in his direction before walking back to her bedroom to find her swimsuit.

Ten minutes later she slipped on a royal blue and white paisley kimono over her string bikini. She bought the outfit after finding out she would also be joining the group on a semi-vacation; it was a small purchase in retrospect, but a fun one. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled.

“Momma needs to get her groove back,” she muttered to herself.

The bright blue string bikini was a simple design, but it fit her personality well. Not to mention the subtle ruffles on the triangles over her breasts, along with the way it hugged her curves, were perfect. She grabbed her jean shorts and threw them on for a little more coverage, put on her shoes, and grabbed her tote bag that held everything she may need in case of a team arrow emergency, or, you know, to avoid a sunburn.

“Come on,” she sighed as she walked into the main room and found Roy laying on the couch watching television. “Roy, don’t stay in here all day. Come to the beach – only until Oliver gets back. On the plus side, waiting will give you the chance to get some sun since you’re looking ehhh.”

He turned around to glare at her. “You always know the right thing to say.”

She clicked her tongue cheekily and winked at him in hopes of making him laugh. The corner of his mouth twitched up slightly, which was better than nothing. But it wasn’t the goal.

“I promise to keep my phone on. Oliver said he’d call me if he wasn’t planning on coming straight back to the hotel… I could always track his and Thea’s phones if it made you feel better,” Felicity replied absentmindedly as she rooted around in her bag for her sunglasses. She stopped moving and glanced at Roy, who was looking skeptical at best. “Not that I ever keep tabs on any of your phones, unless I think you’re in danger that is,” she added quickly.

Roy smiled at Felicity – his first genuine smile since they reached the island. “Felicity, of course you track us. I’ve known that fact since day one.”

“You know, you bicker like siblings.”

Felicity glanced around to see an amused Lyla standing in her bedroom’s doorway.

“We might as well be,” Felicity admitted. She gestured at Roy aggressively and added, “Now, can you convince Roy to come with me for an hour, so he can get some sun?”

Lyla crossed her arms, resting them on her baby bump, and smiled. “When Oliver texts or gets here, I’ll make sure you know the latest or if you’re needed… so go. Go with Felicity and have a little fun. You both deserve it… It keeps up appearances if we use the hotel like normal guests,” she replied.

“Okay. But only for an hour,” Roy agreed.

“Deal.”

“Wait, what’s your plan Lyla?” Felicity asked.

“I’m going to take a short nap and get some food. The baby’s been so active I could barely sleep on the plane.” Lyla eyed Felicity’s attire and added, “You look beautiful.” Felicity batted her eyelashes playfully in response, so Lyla shook her head and chuckled lightly. “Okay, now both of you get out of here! Have some fun.”

Roy grabbed his phone and mumbled as he got up from the couch. “If Felicity and I are siblings, then you’re our mom.”

Felicity snorted and glanced at Lyla who looked as if she was considering shooting Roy. “You’re not that much older than us… It would be more like an older sister,” she stated sheepishly. The last thing she wanted to do today – on her vacation no less – was piss off a pregnant ARGUS agent.

Suddenly they heard someone sigh. “Stop talking and leave before she gets out her gun!” Dig muttered loudly from the bedroom.

Felicity grabbed Roy’s hand and dragged him from the room without a second glance in Lyla’s direction. As they closed the door they could hear laughter coming from Diggle’s bedroom.

Once they made it to the beach they found some lounge chairs. Felicity placed her towel on one, so she could lay down, and handed Roy the other. Felicity slipped off her shorts and sandals, throwing them on top of her tote bag. She sat down, pulling her legs up so she could rest the tablet on her thighs, and got to work tapping away on the screen.

“Roy, I’m following Oliver now. He left the address I gave and is… wait, what?”

He whipped his head around. “Is something wrong?”

She shook her head in reply. “No… Just Oliver left the home I sent him to and is – he’s now at a little café nearby.” She hit a few more keys until a new window popped up that illustrated an aerial view of the café. She zoomed in and stopped.

“Well, it looks like Oliver and Thea are together.”

Roy leaned over until he could see the feed before speaking. “How did you get this footage?” he asked startled by the visual quality.

Felicity bit her lip and hid her face from him after assessing their likelihood of being overheard. “Let’s just say, being on said island has given me better access to certain satellites… Ones that I will never name.”

“I’m not even going to ask,” Roy mumbled.

She exited out of the feed and wiped it clean of any trace she might have left behind. “Always a good moto,” she replied approvingly. She slipped her tablet in her tote and swiftly slid off her coverup revealing the blue string bikini.

“Everyone’s good, so we can officially relax.”

She laid back and slipped on her shades to take in the view of the vibrant blue ocean, white sand, green palm trees and the outline of a few distant islands surrounding them.

 “It’s gorgeous here – I see why Thea stayed so long,” she admitted.

For a while they sat in silence, enjoying the sun and unfamiliar chance to relax. Eventually, Felicity couldn’t hold back any longer. “Are you ready to see her?” she asked hesitantly.

There had been very few times that Roy had been willing to talk about his relationship with Thea, but over the past few days he’d opened up to Felicity quite a bit.

“I have to be,” he admitted.

“Well, you’ll do fine. Just speak from your heart.”

A man walked up behind them and interrupted their conversation. “Welcome to the Prodigar Resort. My name’s Mateo. May I get you anything?” Felicity kept her eyes closed while Roy and the waiter spoke. “May I get anything for you, Miss?”

She turned around and smiled at the tall man. “May I get a sparkling water with lemon?”

“No alcohol?” he teased. “You must be old enough.”

She rolled her eyes, but no one knew because she was wearing sunglasses. “Yes, obviously, but no. I’m all set with a water. Thank you,” she replied shortly before turning around and closing her eyes again so she could soak up the sun’s rays. As soon as the man walked away Roy slapped her arm. “What?” she questioned feeling exasperated.

“Have you been out of the game so long that you can’t tell when a man is flirting with you?”

She sat up when she registered the annoyance in his voice. “What?” she asked again feeling confused.

Roy huffed. “You really do need to get laid… _The waiter_. Mateo was flirting with you,” he insisted.

“Oh.” She subtly looked over to the bar located some ways away and noticed the man again, more closely this time. He was tall and handsome with strong cheekbones and grey blue eyes. As she let her eyes wander his body she couldn’t help but acknowledge his muscular physique. “He is sexy, isn’t he? Like model hot,” she wondered aloud.

“I haven’t been known to rate men, but, yes, he’s attractive,” Roy admitted. “He was definitely checking you out.”

Felicity stopped staring at the man and went back to her day. “I don’t need to sleep with the first hot man who flirts with me… I’ll have plenty of options, thank you very much.”

Roy coughed. “In that bikini… Yes. You will.”

Felicity glanced at him with a smirk on her face. “You perv.”

A few minutes later Mateo returned with their drinks. He placed them on the table next to their seats. Felicity tilted her head at him and smiled ruefully.

“Thanks, Mateo,” she said slowly.

She twisted her long blond hair into a bun while arching her back slightly. “I’m Felicity by the way,” she added.

She noticed his eyes shift somewhat while watching her put her hair up, but he forced himself to focus on her face. He met her eyes momentarily. Her heart started to race as her breath caught in her throat.

“It’s nice to meet you, Felicity. If you need anything else, let me know,” he replied with practiced ease.

He walked away and Felicity watched him longingly. _Maybe he wouldn’t be a bad option_ , she considered.  

“Maybe you haven’t lost all game.”

Felicity smiled at Roy innocently. “Whatever do you mean kind sir?” she asked in a Southern accent.

Roy shook his head and stayed quiet for a little while. Eventually he gave in and said, “Okay, fine. You don’t want to talk about it. But, it clearly killed him not to look at your body with that little move… I’m surprised… You have very little flirting abilities around Oliver.”

Felicity slipped her sunglasses off and glared at him. “Please stop bringing him up constantly,” she grumbled.

“Bringing who up?”

Felicity glanced up to see Oliver standing there. She sat up straight, immediately feeling uncomfortable and annoyed. “No one. How did it go with Thea?”

“Badly. She isn’t coming with us.”

“What?” Felicity inquired.

“She never wants to come home… I – I don’t know what else to do or say,” Oliver confessed.

“Where is she?” Roy demanded.

“At the café still,” Felicity interjected before Oliver could reply. She looked up to notice the men staring at her. She smiled and wrinkled her nose. “Old habits die hard. I’m tracking both of your phones,” she admitted to Oliver softly. She really didn’t want to piss the man off after he just found out his little sister – his only family – didn’t plan on ever coming home.

Roy nodded. “I have to try. Do you need me for backup?” he asked Oliver.

“No. Go talk to Thea. Maybe you can get through to her.”

Roy agreed and immediately stood up, slipping on his shirt as he went. Before leaving he made one last request. “Felicity, send me the address.”

“Yes, sir,” she mouthed as she shot off a text with Thea’s location.

She put away her phone once she noticed Oliver was still standing next to her. She recognized the look of utter despair and guilt that crossed his features now – it reminded her of the moment she found Oliver in a suit on the ground of his secret foundry mere months ago. He had looked so broken that day. At the time she hadn’t known how to comfort him, their relationship was all kinds of weird – and still was – but he was hurting about the death of a loved one, one he felt responsibility for. Although she would never tell him, she understood how devastatingly painful that felt.

While she blocked out her own feelings of guilt, Felicity reached for his hand to comfort him, but stopped herself. Instead, she placed her hand on his arm – the familiar standby.

“It’s not over. You can try again. We have two more days. Go meet up with Digg and Lyla. Go help them and get your mind off of it. I’ll be here for a while longer.”

He swallowed and averted his eyes, clearly trying to hide the fact that he was feeling emotional. “Okay. Thank you. I’ll see you in a bit,” Oliver stated before walking toward the hotel entrance.

She let out a deep breath and collapsed into the chair once he was out of sight. She closed her eyes, trying to force the flashbacks of her repressed memories out of her mind’s eye.

“You look like you could use more than water,” Mateo interjected.

She gasped and opened her eyes, startled by the man’s presence. “How the hell did I not hear you?” she asked.

 “I have a feeling you have something distracting on your mind.”

She crossed her arms in irritation. Not at the man flirting with her, but with the fact that he could read her emotions so easily. She narrowed her eyes and asked, “Why would you say that? Were you watching me?”

“It’s my job to notice when someone would want a drink,” he pointed out nonchalantly as his eyes sparkled in the sun.

She smiled and agreed, “True.” Felicity shook her head, trying to rid herself of all negative thoughts. “Anyway, you’re right. I _could_ use a drink. A strong mixed drink sounds good. What would you recommend?”

“The bartender makes a good Dark ‘n’ Stormy or a Raspberry Margarita,” Mateo added.

“I don’t know what’s in it, but I’ll go with the dark and stormy. It sounds fitting for the day,” she admitted.

“Coming up.”

Five minutes later Mateo walked back over with the drink in hand. He placed it next to her and hesitated. “What?” she asked, sensing his hesitancy. She lifted her sunglasses to get a better look at the man standing before her.

He licked his lips nervously.

“My shift’s about to end and I - I’m not sure what you have planned with your boyfriend tonight, but there is a great café in town where they have live music on Saturday nights. I thought it might lighten your stormy day,” he stated politely.

 “That sounds fun. Where is – Wait, _what_? I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Oh, that man with you wasn’t your boyfriend?” he asked, surprised.

She wrinkled her nose and replied, “Roy? No, we’re friends. Just friends – more like siblings really.”

He chuckled noiselessly and crossed his arms in discomfort. “No. I meant the other man. The one you were just speaking with.”

“You mean Oliver,” she added slowly. She shook her head quickly to backtrack. “No, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s a friend too.”

She noticed his stance lighten suddenly as his smile brightened intoxicatingly. “Okay, well then.” He handed her a piece of paper with an address on it. “This is the restaurant… Bring your friends if you want.”

She bit her lip and smiled back. She took the paper and replied shyly, “Okay.”

As he was about to walk away he added, “Maybe I’ll see you there.”

 

Later that day, Felicity was leaning against a wall, her eyes closed as she listened to someone singing in Spanish. She was dressed in a vibrant maxi skirt and a bright pink tight v neck crop; her blonde hair was flowing freely and her usual glasses were replaced with vacation shades. She was over dressed, but she didn’t care. It was vacation after all.

She swiped her phone to see if she had any alerts and frowned when she found none. She was waiting for the team to meet up with her at the designated location.

_They should be here by now._

Hopefully, they would get there before it became dark outside, but she could never be positive with team arrow. The only contact she had with them was a cryptic text telling her they would be busy tomorrow as well. Something went wrong, but she assumed no one was injured.

Suddenly a yellow taxi drove up and the doors opened. Oliver, Dig and Lyla walked out to greet her.

“Where’s Roy,” Oliver questioned in leu of a greeting.

Felicity’s eyebrows creased instantaneously in apprehension.

“His talk with Thea didn’t change anything... He wanted to be alone, so he’s in the hotel suite. Probably will be all night.” Oliver’s face dropped slightly, so she quickly changed the topic. “Everything okay on the ARGUS front?”

It was Lyla’s turn to frown now. “Not really. Something’s very wrong with Shaw,” she admitted.

Felicity looked between the three friends standing before her. “That’s why you’re continuing on with it tomorrow?” she inquired.

Dig replied, “Yes. We’re going to need your help to locate Shaw tomorrow morning.”

“Sure,” Felicity mused happily. “You’ll tell me details later?”

Lyla smiled and nodded, a sure sign that the mission didn’t go as expected nor that they should continue the discussion in public.

Oliver looked around. “So why are we here?”

“I got a good recommendation. The food and atmosphere is supposedly great. I thought we’d get dinner.” She checked her phone casually and continued, “It’s late enough and I’m starving.”

Lyla sighed and agreed, “The baby and I are hungry too.”

They quickly found a couple of small tables outside and put them together so they could all sit together. Lyla and John sat down across from Oliver and Felicity without a word. Shortly after they decided their food choices, a waitress showed up. Felicity looked around as Lyla ordered for the table in Spanish - at least one of them was fluent in Spanish. Felicity could get by on her own, but she couldn’t converse in Spanish. French, though. French, Felicity could speak. Once the waitress left, Felicity glanced at Oliver. He appeared tense and uncomfortable, which was rare for him.

“Hey, are you okay,” she asked softly. She grasped his arm lightly to get his attention, ignoring the uncomfortable closeness of Dig and his girlfriend across from them.

Oliver nodded, trying to smile. He failed. “Yeah. Just, Thea works here.”

She squeezed his arm in support before pulling her hand away. “I’m sorry. We don’t have to stay.”

He took a couple of barely noticeable deep breathes and shook his head in disagreement. In seconds, the usual facade reached his features, hiding his emotions completely. “I’m fine.”

“What are you two talking about?” John piped in as he took in the intensity of their conversation.

Felicity took a sip of her water and shook her head. “Nothing important. I haven’t had the chance to ask, but did you find out the gender of the baby. Or do you even wanna know?” she asked, desperately trying to divert the attention from Oliver.

He needed a break, that was evident to everyone.

Lyla and John eyed each other. They were clearly having a silent argument.

“John doesn’t want to know,” Lyla admitted, “But I know.”

John leaned over and pulled Lyla’s shoulder toward his chest, his hand resting on her shoulder. “She promised not to tell me.”

“How can you not want to know!”

“I like surprises.”

Lyla huffed, “I hate them.”

“I’d need to plan,” Felicity confessed. “Otherwise, I’d be a mess. I mean, I guess you could mainly get gender neutral clothing and baby room. But, there is no question I’d need to know. Lyla, will you tell me?”

“You’re horrible with secrets Felicity,” Dig replied.

Felicity gasped and pointed at him. “You traitor!” she hissed playfully. “I’m good at keeping secrets when they are important.”

Oliver clenched his jaw to hold back his laugher. Diggle did the same.

Lyla rolled her eyes at the men. Ignoring them she winked and mouthed, “I got you.”

“I think the waitress forgot our plantains. Do you wanna walk with me Lyla?” Felicity asked innocently. 

Lyla agreed, so they both got up from the table and walked a distance away. She pulled on Lyla’s arm lightly to get her attention. “Girl or boy?” she questioned instantly.

Lyla laughed heartily. Felicity had recently relized that pregnancy suited Lyla. She always seemed happy and lighter than she used to be – even though Felicity barely knew Lyla before she was pregnant.

“Why do you care so much?”

Felicity shrugged before replying honestly. “It’s exciting. I’ve always loved and wanted kids eventually, but Dig and you seem so happy. I’m happy for you.”

Lyla grinned. “That’s sweet, Felicity. Okay, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell John.”

“Promise.”

“It’s a girl.”

Felicity screeched and grasped Lyla in a tight embrace. Lyla patted her on the back lightly.

Finally, Felicity let go and stepped back. “You’re going to be amazing parents. And she’s going to be one badass woman one day.”

Lyla sighed and nodded. “I hope so,” she admitted.

“Auntie F’liss with babysit any time.”

“Thank you.”

Felicity glanced back toward the tables. “No chance they believed we were checking on the plantains, right?”

“No. They aren’t that dense.”

Felicity groaned. “We should get back to the table then.”

“Yep,” Lyla mouthed.

A couple of hours later the sun had set. Everything was bathed in a beautiful glow from the twinkle lights around some tree trunks and bushes. They were sitting around the table eating and drinking happily while listening to the live performance in the background.

“No,” Dig argued. “You shouldn’t come Lyla. You’re too far along.”

Lyla glared at him, her nostrils fuming. “It’s my agency. Shaw knows _me,_ not you. John, I’m not a doll. The baby and I will be fine.”

Felicity sat back, trying to avoid getting involved in the conversation.

Dig closed his eyes and re-centered himself, in the Yoda-like way he always did. When he opened them again to stare at his girlfriend, the anger was gone. Yet, the concern was still there.

“You’re not even allowed on the field anymore, honey. I love you. I just want to make sure you both are safe. Can you please stay with Felicity? We’ll take Roy, so we still have a third.”

Lyla’s mouth turned into a thin line, but she nodded. “For the baby, yes. But after this baby comes out, I will be going back into the field,” Lyla demanded.

John nodded in enthusiastic agreement and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Of course.”

Felicity smiled to herself at the sight before her. John and Lyla were couple goals for her. They knew each other perfectly and loved each other so much. They could argue one minute, compromise the next and still look at each other as if they were each other’s entire world. They both had their own careers and goals, but family was always their center. It was a simple and sweet picture. A picture that she couldn’t remember seeing as a child. She wanted that life someday. Not soon, but someday.

 _I’ll have it,_ she reminded herself forcefully.

“So we’re all good now?” Felicity asked the group.

Lyla and Dig glared at her while Oliver pretended to be distracted. “Yes,” they both agreed loudly in unison.

“Good.”

Lyla pecked Johns cheek, but something diverted her attention. “Felicity, a guy at your four is staring at you. Do you know him?” she asked, her curiosity peaking.

Felicity looked behind her quickly to see who Lyla was talking about and paused when she locked eyes with him. Mateo was standing at the bar with a man she assumed was his friend. Out of his uniform he looked even more handsome; he was wearing a short sleeve grey t-shirt that showed off his muscular frame and loose jeans. He was grinning from ear to ear when she noticed him. She smiled back and blushed wildly – she hoped it was dark enough that no one noticed. She pulled herself away from his gaze to find her three friends staring intently at her.

“What?” she asked feeling embarrassed. “I met him at the hotel earlier. His name’s Mateo.”

Lyla smiled ruefully. “Well, he looks like he wants to get to know you better,” she teased.

Dig eyed Oliver to gauge his reaction, but Oliver didn’t react. He was practically a robot. Felicity was thankful for his lack of response honestly. It made her next move easy.

“He’s the one who recommend the food here.”

Lyla raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Okay, then. He’s hot,” she admitted while glancing at the man at the bar again.

Felicity groaned and downed the rest of her margarita in one move.

Lyla patted John on the check and said, “I think it’s time to go. It’s getting late.”

Dig glanced between Felicity and Oliver and nodded. “Okay, you both ready?” he hesitantly asked duo across the table.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Oliver replied with ease.

Before Felicity could reply a large hand landed on her shoulder. Without thinking she grabbed the hand, stood up and pulled the man’s arm in a way to incapacitate   someone – just the way Oliver had taught her. In the same moment, Oliver, Dig and Lyla all stood up.

When Felicity noticed who’s arm she was about to break, she froze and simultaneously let go of his arm. Mateo was gritting his teeth as he nursed his arm.

“I’m so sorry. You startled me,” Felicity gasped in horror. “Are you okay?”

He stretched his arm a little more but nodded. “Yes, I’m okay.” He laughed a little. “I learned my lesson though. I’ll never sneak up on you again,” he promised.

Felicity whined another apology, while her friends watched on equally flabbergasted.

“It’s okay. Really. I just came over here you ask you to dance, but I’m wondering if my advices are unwelcomed,” he muttered hesitantly as he pushed his palms into his pockets.

“No. I mean, I’d love to dance,” Felicity replied immediately.

“Okay, well you two have fun. Us three are gonna go back to the hotel. Are you good?” Lyla asked while watching Felicity closely.

She smiled at the woman and winked back. “I have cash – I’m good.”

Oliver pulled out some cash and left it on the table before smiling at Felicity and walking out with Lyla and Dig.

Felicity lightly grasped Mateo’s arm. “I’m _so so sorry_. I don’t know what came over me.”

She wasn’t lying, really. Sure, she was training almost daily in self-defense but she rarely did well in a real-life setting. She was still surprised she had managed that maneuver at all, let alone after partaking in alcohol and feeling jetlagged.

“Don’t worry about it.” He took her hand and guided her to the dance floor silently. Felicity bit her lip in anticipation.

Hours later, the night air breezed through the open windows as he ran a finger up and down her bare arm slowly. Felicity hummed in appreciation of the simple touch creating goosebumps on her flesh. It was delicate and sensual. Yet, it almost felt like he was in another world altogether.

Suddenly Felicity shifted in bed so she could face the very naked man next to her while adjusting the sheets accordingly. In the dark night, she could still see a shadow of his features.

“Hi,” she whispered.

He stopped looking at the ceiling to glance at her face and smiled softly. “Hi,” he whispered.

“I’m usually more drunk when I do this sort of thing,” she admitted feeling embarrassed.

He raised his eyebrows. “What? When you sleep with someone?”

She rolled her eyes at his tone and shrugged. “For a one-night stand, Yes.”

“Ouch,” he muttered. “Rejection much?”

Felicity bit her lip and studied his features before responding. “I don’t think being in bed with you _naked_ – after having sex with you, _twice_ \- constitutes as rejection, do you?” she asked while tilting her head onto her pillow.

He shook his head enthusiastically as his smile widened deviously. He wrapped his arm around her hips bringing their bodies closer. “I suppose not,” he whispered as he inched his way toward her lips.

“What were you thinking about?” she blurted out.

He froze on the spot, his eyes glued to hers. The intensity of them captivated her entirely. She swallowed hard and took shallow breaths. Something about this man was intoxicating, but she couldn’t figure out what or why.

She blinked rapidly and frowned as she began to notice his reaction. “Sorry, I tend to ramble and ask a lot of questions, even when I shouldn’t – actually, _especially_ when I shouldn’t. Right now, is one of those times,” she mumbled nervously.

He placed his head on the pillow next to hers, their faces inches apart. His eyes never left Felicity. “Questions aren’t a bad thing,” he admitted slowly. “But talking isn’t usually why I end up in someone’s bed, especially when all I know about them is their name and that they have very attractive male friends.”

Felicity smirked, feeling playful and carefree for the first time in a long time. “Okay... From the way you describe me I’d imagine _you_ have some questions… Shoot.”

“Really?” he asked unsure.

Felicity laughed slightly and kicked his leg playfully. “Yes, now go. Ask anything you want.”

She knew this was a dangerous game, but once she had his name and birth date she had ran his profile through all of the government agency’s identification software she had access to. She was almost 95% certain that Mateo LoCicero wasn’t a government agent or spy of any kind.

“What’s your last name?”

Felicity snorted. “You might want to start with a bigger question than that,” she teased.

“If I ever want to see you again Felicity, I believe a last name would be imperative.”

“Smoak. It’s Felicity Smoak,” she whispered as she cuddled up on her side. “Your turn.”

His lips curved in amusement. “My name’s Mateo LoCicero… It’s nice to meet you Felicity Smoak,” he whispered only inches away from her. “Your turn.”

“Have you always lived here?”

He paused momentarily. Felicity swore she saw a flicker of a man she recognized, but he was gone seconds later. He shook his head. “No. I was born in the US to first generation immigrants… I’m here to take care of my grandmother, whose ill and refuses to move away from her home… I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.”

“I’m sorry. Are your parents here too?” she asked curiously, even though she knew she was moving way past the conversations she might have with a fling.

He looked behind her momentarily before replying. “No. They’re back home in California. San Jose to be specific… I couldn’t let mom and dad quit the jobs they love while I went on with my life... So I moved here two years ago, right out of Stanford. Eventually I’ll move back home and get a job at some journal. For now, I’m here.”

“So you’re a journalist who went to Stanford and you’re from California,” she reiterated slowly. Although she’d looked up his possible criminal history or federal job history, she had refused to learn anything else about him if she could control it. She shrieked as he pulled her closer to his body in one swift motion.

“You?” he groaned into her ear as she felt his erection rub against her bare hip. He pressed light kisses against her shoulder.

 She began to breath faster as she felt the friction of their bodies. _It’s been way too long_ , she thought to herself. She pushed his body away for hers slightly so she could think clearly. When she could see his face again she groaned and pressed her face into the pillow.

“I live in Starling City and work at Queen Consolidated in the IT department,” she mumbled into the pillow.

“Your obsession with your tablet now makes sense…”

She widened her eyes and mumbled, “You have _no_ idea.”

She smiled at Mateo, his eyes warm and inviting. He lightly pushed her hair behind her ear and out of her eyes. He grazed one of the large and colorful earrings that she didn’t take off when she got back tonight, merely two hours ago.

“I need a drink,” she whined softly at the intensity of the moment. She sat up and felt around for something to put on.

“What are you doing?” Mateo groaned as she wiggled out of his arms.

“Getting alcohol,” she whispered.

When she found a t shirt she swiftly put it on and got out of bed. She opened the bedroom door and tiptoed quietly to the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of red wine on the counter and two glasses before slowly walking back to her bedroom with the loot. She closed the door and put the glasses down on the bedside table.

“I thought you were getting mini fridge vodka or something.”

She opened the bottle and smirked at the man in her bed. “My friends like to travel in style,” she teased. She poured him a glass and swiftly handed it to him before continuing. “Or did the massive hotel suite convince you otherwise?”

He sat up and took the glass from her. “No. I definitely noticed the suite… Either you have rich friends or you have way more money than most recent college graduates.” He took a sip of the wine all the while watching her closely the whole time.

She scooted into bed wearing his grey t-shirt, that smelled of gardenias and musk, while holding her wine glass and shook her head in response. “No, I’m not rich - Not even close. I’m here for a friend’s trip.” She took a sip of the red wine and closed her eyes, savoring the flavor.

“Do you go on ‘friend’s trips’ often?” he asked tentatively as he leaned against some pillows.

She glanced at his bare abs stretched out in her bed and swallowed. She ran her fingers through her hair to distract herself and leaned against her pillows while looking at him.

“No. I went to Russia for a last-minute trip last year with my friends, but otherwise no.”

She took another large sip of wine to shut herself up. The last thing she wanted was a reminder of that trip or their surprise guest.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You went to Russia? _For what?”_

She sighed heavily, her mind working a mile a minute. She already told him about Queen Consolidated and that she was here with a friend named Oliver. If he had Google, which of course he did, then it would be easy to find out that she worked with Oliver Queen. If he saw a picture of Oliver, then there would be no hiding anyway.

“I went with Oliver Queen, who was going for a business meeting.”

He choked on a sip of wine and slowly put it down on the bedside table near him. Felicity felt herself blushing.

“Oliver Queen, as in the heir to the Queen family fortune? _He’s_ your friend?”

Felicity wrinkled her eyebrows in embarrassment. “ _Yes...._ This is actually his suite.”

“And that was him on the beach talking to you – the same man who sat next to you at dinner.”

When all she did was take a sip of wine and nod Mateo sat up and slowly took Felicity’s glass from her, putting it down next to his own.

“Why are we talking about another man when you’re only wearing my shirt,” he whispered as he leaned in, his lips grazing her ear.

She shook her head and muttered, “I don’t know.”

Her heart started to race again as he pressed his lips against hers, his hands pulling her body close to his own. He ran his fingers through her hair as they passionately kissed until he gently grasped her head in his hands, captivating all of her attention. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, dragging her nails down his muscular and cold back, as she took in his tongue. She felt him groan when he adjusted his body over hers suddenly pulling her down onto the sheets.

She closed her eyes and arched her back when one of his hands reached under the sheets to grab her thigh and wrap it around his body. He began sucking on her neck, leaving red marks as he went. When he began to travel lower she grasped his shoulders and dug her nails into his skin, enjoying every sensation. Every touch.

In between heavy breaths she whispered, “You never asked me another question.” He tugged the shirt up and over her head, throwing it on the floor. He hovered over her smiling ruefully. “You really want to talk right now?”

“It’s only fair,” she deadpanned.

“Okay, where did you go to school and where did you grow up?... Better?” he asked before slowly working his way down her chest until he reached her stomach. He placed slow kisses on her skin, making her shudder from the contact. He glided his hands down her sides to her hips as he kissed her bellybutton. He suddenly stopped and looked up at her. “Are you going to answer?”

He began kissing lower on her stomach, licking the sweat off of her skin as he went, but he made eye contact the whole time.

“Yes, I,” she breathed. “I went to - You might have gone to Stanford, but… I – I went to MIT for a BA and Masters in… in cyber security and other tech mumbo... mumbo jumbo… I grew up in Vegas. I, uh, moved to Starling City after I graduated,” she whined in between breaths.

He smiled against her skin. His hands never leaving her thigh, Mateo glanced up to see Felicity staring at him expectantly. “You do know San Jose is only two hours away from Starling, right?”

Felicity giggled and teasingly slapped his back. “That’s what you got? Yes, I still live in Starling – I thought we already covered that.”

Mateo shrugged. “I’m not intimated by an intelligent woman.”

“Good to know because I’m _very_ intelligent – like a genius level IQ by the way,” she whispered as he began kissing lower until his body and head were completely covered by the sheets. When she felt his fingers grip her legs and pull them apart she happily assisted him. Suddenly, she felt his tongue touch her between the legs and his hands grip her ass tightly, pulling her entrance closer to his mouth. She hummed in desire, arched her back and gripped his hair.

“Oh god, don’t – don’t stop,” she groaned.

From under the sheets he stopped sucking on her clit and hovered over her pussy.

“Yes, boss,” he groaned quietly.

 

“Where’s your shirt?” Felicity asked quietly. When she heard no reply, she turned on the bathroom light hoping not to wake him. She spotted the grey t-shirt and quickly slipped it on so she could go pee. When she opened the door, she witnessed Mateo sprawled out in her bed, the sheets pulled down past his bellybutton. He was watching for her sleepily and smiled when she opened the door wearing his t-shirt.

She looked down and blushed slightly. “Sorry, I couldn’t find anything else to wear and I needed to get up.”

He shrugged and took a deep breath. “No worries. It looks good on you,” he admitted.

“Yeah,” she teased happily, still feeling the buzz the comes along with multiple orgasms.

“Yeah,” he said mid-yawn as he closed his eyes. _It is after three am_ , Felicity reminded herself.

She climbed into bed next to him comfortably and cuddled into her covers. She rested her head on her pillow as she watched a stranger drift off to sleep next to her.

“This was a bizarrely intimate one-night stand,” she mumbled to herself quietly.

Mateo chuckled gruffly into his pillow.

She internally groaned and covered her face with her pillow. “I thought you were asleep,” she admitted.

“Clearly,” he agreed. He yawned again and glanced in her direction with hooded eyes. “Alas, I am not.”

She peaked out from under the sheets and smiled at the sight next to her. “You know… I have one last question,” she whispered into the darkness.

She suddenly felt Mateo’s arm wrap around her side, pulling her close to him until they were inches apart. They stared into each other’s eyes, but it wasn’t sexual – it was intimate.

“It better be a good one,” he said quietly, his voice gruff.

She slapped his arm playfully in excitement. More likely, she was feeling giddy from being overtired, but that wasn’t as interesting. She cuddled up next to him, getting comfortable as she bit her lip in thought. She tapped her fingers on his muscular chest as she considered her options.

“I’m going to fall asleep if you wait much longer,” he admitted patiently.

“Okay, fine. Umm, What… no. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” she asked cautiously. She wasn’t even sure why she wanted that question answered, but it was nagging at her.

“Am I at a job interview?” he inquired sarcastically.

She stopped tapping his chest with her nails and placed it on his warm skin before responding. “No, of course not. But if that was a job interview, believe me, you would have gotten the job,” she admitted tiredly.

He stretched out next to her and closed his eyes, smiling in response to her comment. “In ten years I’ll be 35… I hope I have a stable job somewhere in CA where I can write about things I’m passionate about; maybe I’ll have even written a book or two. I’d be in a steady relationship, maybe even married with a kid or two. I’d be somewhere not too far from my family, so I can visit them often… And I don’t know, maybe I’d have a dog or two,” Mateo grumbled sleepily.

Felicity watched him as he let his guard down, most likely from exhaustion as that’s her case right now as well. She felt butterflies in her stomach at what he saw in his future. It was a picture she’d like as well. She wanted commitment, something real. Something that Oliver was incapable of giving her.

“Felicity,” he croaked out sleepily as he closed his eyes again. “I really need to sleep. I have a double shift tomorrow.”

She was snatched out of her thoughts at his comment. “I’m sorry,” she whispered quietly, feeling embarrassed. She pulled her hand away from his chest without thought and frowned. Although this was Felicity’s vacation, this was his everyday life. Not to mention, who knew how many other female guests at the hotel that Mateo slept with on the regular.

He opened his eyes to look at her face when she moved suddenly. “Is something wrong?” he asked, startled.

“No,” Felicity stated without emotion, as she positioned herself farther away from him. When she didn’t go any further, Mateo hummed in acknowledgment and kissed her neck absentmindedly.

“Goodnight, Felicity Smoak. Vegas native and graduate of MIT,” he whispered into her ear. Shortly after, he closed his eyes and fell asleep next to her.

“Goodnight,” she mumbled to herself. She closed her eyes and let the tension leave her body – it was a hell of a lot easier after tonight’s activities – as she tried to not over analyze the night. But alas, she failed miserably.


	14. Corto Maltese Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after Felicity has a one night stand, it's back to arrow business mixed in with some Thea and Oliver moments and later on the way home in a jet Felicity and Oliver have an honest and heartfelt conversation for once. 
> 
> Some conversations/parts of conversations are directly taken out of season 3 episodes. I just added in my own flare and made them longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I haven't posted anything for a month! I'm so sorry! The holiday season is always incredibly busy, so I had less time to write and edit. 
> 
> Honestly, last chapter was mostly for me, but this one follows along with the episode more. I had fun with creating a new character/ love interest for Felicity, so it was beyond long of a chapter. Hopefully it wasn't too long for many of you. Also there won't be any more smut for a while, but I'll warn people next time.   
> I'm having a blast writing this story, so hopefully some of you will enjoy it as well!   
> As always thank you so so so so so much for reading and taking the time to comment!

**_July 19 th 2014_ **

 

Felicity was startled awake by a rapidly vibrating humming sound reverberating throughout the room. She internally groaned. With closed eyes she reached over to grab her phone, immediately answering it; a habit born out of past mistakes of missing team arrow emergencies.

“Hello,” she grumbled into the speaker while refusing to open her eyes.

Exhaustion overwhelmed every inch of her frame as dealt with a pounding pain behind her eyes.

“Felicity… Are you okay?”

Her eyelids fluttered as she froze on the spot. The events of the past twenty-four hours flooded her thoughts. She glanced down toward the weight on her body to see a lifeless arm wrapped around her waist. She hesitated momentarily, letting the heat radiating off his body envelope her. She silently lifted his arm and wiggled out of Mateo’s sleeping grasp before running to the bathroom and closing the door.

“I’m fine, Iris. Just woke up,” Felicity whispered as she sat on the edge of the shiny white jet tub. “Are _you_ okay? I mean why are you calling so early?”

There was silence on the phone for a moment. “Felicity, it’s the middle of the day… _Where_ are you?” she asked perplexed.

Felicity sighed and glanced in the mirror to see her exhausted features staring back at her.

_I really did stay up too late last night_ , she thought to herself.

“It was a last-minute trip out of the country with Oliver and Dig - It’s early _here_ ,” Felicity hissed impatiently. It was too early to be beating around the bush. She frowned at her own tone and added, “Sorry, you just caught me in an awkward moment. What’s up?”

“ _Oh my god_ , are you in bed with someone?” Iris gushed.

Felicity ran her fingers through her knotted hair and whined a little.

“Yes, and it’s complicated... I’m whispering in the _bathroom_ while he’s in my hotel bed so if you could tell me whether Central or Starling City are burning down or not, it would be much appreciated.”

“Shit, yeah. Sorry. This probably isn’t the best time then. And no, Central City and Starling City are both fine. When do you get home?”

“I’m leaving tomorrow late afternoon and it’s a nine-hour flight. I’ll be home on the twenty-first… I can talk sooner, but umm, preferably not when a naked man is in the next room waiting for me… Unless, it’s an emergency – I can always talk then.”

“No. No. It’s okay. It’s just about Barry, but nothing life or death. Call me back when you have a minute?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Okay, well you go get ‘em, girl.”

Felicity bit her lip and groaned. “Yeah, mornings after a one-night stand aren’t awkward at all.”

“Was it good?”

Felicity snorted and nodded. “Oh, yes. Very good.”

Iris chuckled lightly, “Well, then. Who cares? You’ll never see him again.”

“True. Okay, bye.”

“Bye, girl.”

Felicity hung up and walked over to the mirror. She readjusted her hair slightly and threw some cold water on her face to wake up. She checked her phone for any other messages and almost dropped it when she realized the time.

“Frack,” Felicity hissed in frustration. There was no way she could get Mateo out safely now.

She opened the bathroom door quietly and spotted Mateo sprawled out in the bed, the sheets twisted around his body. His tanned skin tauntingly visible. For a moment she thought she might crawl back in bed with him, let him wrap his large warm arms around her and fall back asleep. It sounded incredibly nice, but she shook herself out of the daze just as quickly.

_One-night stand, Felicity. That means no feelings allowed, even if he is gorgeous, smart and dedicated to his family,_ she thought to herself.

“And apparently a cuddle-er,” she muttered under her breath. She stopped herself from thinking further and shook it off. She needed to get him out.

She sprinted into the bedroom, swiftly looking around for his clothes that were thrown about the room: on chairs, the floor and a strewn about pillow on the rug.

He groaned groggily. As he woke up he rolled over so he could see her crouched on the floor grabbing at his things in a frenzy. Without glancing in his direction, she threw Mateo’s clothes on the bed in a haze of movement.

“ _Good,_ your awake. You have to leave now,” she insisted while trying to avoid eye contact.

He sat up and blinked rapidly at the bright light coming through her open windows.

“Morning to you, too,” Mateo replied with a rasp to his voice. He yawned sleepily. “Why are you pushing me out the door? I could go grab us some breakfast.”

Felicity took a deep breath to compose herself before replying. “Because it’s almost nine in the morning and I’m hoping you don’t run into any of my friends.”

He tilted his head at her and swiftly grabbed his jeans to put them on. “I’m going to be late for work anyway,” he agreed.

“ _Good.”_ She sighed in relief. Once her mind caught up with her mouth and she realized what she must have sounded like, she continued on. “Not good that you’re going to be late. Good that you agreed to leave.”

When he walked toward her slowly, clearly still waking up, she handed him his shoes. He took them from her and smirked.

“You look beautiful this morning and not just for someone who had less than five hours of sleep.”

She rolled her eyes at the line. “I’m used to not getting much sleep,” she muttered under her breath distractedly.

His eyes widened in mirth. “Really,” he teased.

She groaned in aggravation and pushed him toward the door. “You really do need to leave. _Now._ ”

“You’re no fun,” he faux whined.

Felicity grinned, opening the door with her other hand she replied. “You _know_ that’s not true.”

“Is that so?” Felicity pushed him out of her bedroom door hurriedly with a little too much force. “Okay, I’ll go,” Mateo relented lifting his hands in surrender.

He looked as if he was about to kiss her when suddenly they both froze at the unexpected noise of someone coughing from across the room. They turned immediately to find Lyla and John sitting on the couch eating room service.

“Hi, Lyla. John,” she muttered uncomfortably.

Lyla smiled apologetically. “Hi, Felicity. Did you both sleep well?”

“Yes,” she declared instantly. She patted Mateo on the arm to get his attention. “Okay, um… Bye.”

He looked between the group and nodded in greeting before glancing at her, locking eyes. “Bye, Felicity,” he whispered smiling wide, his blue eyes glittering in the morning light. He leaned in and brushed his lips against her cheek, his morning stubble grazing her soft skin. “Could I get my shirt back first?”

She bit her lip and blushed. Her heartrate increased slightly at the subtle touch. She regained her composure and shrugged. “I think I’m gonna keep it.”

“It looks better on you anyway,” he admitted.

He turned around and walked out of the hotel suite casually, shirtless and shoes in hand. _Well if that’s not a walk of shame, I don’t know what is,_ Felicity thought to herself happily as she admired the view.

She leaned against the open hotel bedroom door as she wistfully watched the empty hallway in Mateo’s wake. Once the door safely closed behind him, she looked toward the couple sitting on the couch. They were watching her closely. John looked uncomfortable, but Lyla was beaming.

“You brought him back with you?”

She huffed, leaning her head against the door. “Is that judgement I hear?”

“No,” Lyla admitted while shaking her head feverishly, “You’re single and he’s _fine_ as hell.”

Felicity closed her eyes. “Yes, he is _and_ he’s smart. Please don’t tell anyone,” she begged. The last thing she wanted was an awkward vacation with her friends. She looked down and realized she was still only in his grey t-shirt. “I need to get dressed,” she muttered. Lyla nodded in agreement while Dig avoided looking in her direction.

“We have an extra bagel – figured you’d need something after drinking last night,” Lyla added.

“Thanks, you guys.”

John took a sip of his coffee and averted his eyes before saying, “of course... Just please go put on some clothes.”

Felicity giggled in embarrassment before closing the door to her bedroom and collapsing back on the bed.

Her head was pounding from dehydration and sleep deprivation. While her night was more than entertaining, it made the next morning hell. At least she was used to sleep deprivation.

“We need your help in a half-hour!” Lyla yelled from the adjoining room.

She groaned into her pillow and forced herself to get up.

“Screw it,” she muttered as she fumbled through her suitcase looking for a cute outfit. She didn’t have to leave the hotel suite yet, so who cares what she put on. She slipped off Mateo’s soft grey shirt and threw on some new panties, a bra and shorts. As she was about to slip on a tank top she turned around and looked in the mirror. She noticed the purple blotches on her neck and chest for the first time and grimaced at her wardrobe options. She tried to think of something to cover up the marks but took the lazy choice, slipping on the grey t-shirt again. She grabbed a ponytail holder and put up her hair into a quick bun – it looked horrible, but it was fine for a hotel room.

She picked up her tablet and phone and froze in place when she noticed a small piece of paper on the bedside table with something scribbled on it, under the wine glasses. She walked toward it and smiled to herself when she read Mateo’s handwriting.

“It doesn’t have to be one night. Call me.”

She added the number into her phone then made her way to the area where Dig and Lyla were sitting not twenty minutes before.

When she opened the door, and saw them sitting there, she braced herself for some awkward questions. She sat down on the chair and smiled uncomfortably at the couple.

“Coffee?” Dig asked casually.

“Please, I didn’t get nearly enough sleep. I need an expresso IV stat, to be honest.”

Lyla continued to smile at her. “In situations like this, that’s a good thing.”

Felicity took the coffee mug from Dig and glanced at Lyla curiously. “Sure. Except when you’re on double duty with team Arrow and this is supposed to be your vacation. I needed the sleep,” Felicity grumbled. She took a large gulp and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation. “Anyway, where’s Oliver?”

 Dig frowned and replied curtly, “He’s at the resort gym. He should be back soon.”

“I’m not sleeping much lately, but for much less enjoyable reasons.” Lyla pointed to her stomach and added, “This little one’s favorite spot to sit lately is on my bladder.”

She grinned at the woman as she talked to her stomach. “Do you think I’ll be a good mom one day?” Felicity asked before thinking. She blushed instantaneously.

Apparently, Mateo’s response to her ten-year question was on her mind more than she was willing to admit.

“You’ll be a wonderful mother one day, if you want to be one,” Dig replied with warmth.

Lyla agreed, “You’d be fantastic.”

“One day, maybe... A kid or two would be nice... I never thought much about it or marriage really, but maybe someday,” she admitted wistfully.

Roy walked out of Dig and Lyla’s bedroom, toweling off his hair. “You brought the waiter back with you last night?” he asked. When he noticed Felicity blush, he snorted.

She took another sip of coffee. “How did you know?” she whined.

She began feeling embarrassed at the caviler way everyone was talking about her sex life. She had no issues with her sexuality, nor expressing it. But it felt odd speaking about it with her family, especially two men who she thought of as her brothers.

“You weren’t exactly quiet. Maybe Lyla and Dig couldn’t hear you, but I could hear you loud and clear on the couch.”

Felicity almost dropped her mug. “What?! What did you hear?”

Roy looked away and frowned. “You’re very vocal when _excited.._. Plus, at one point you didn’t completely shut the door. I was awake when you got up to get the wine.”

“ _No_.”

“Yes.”

“ _No._ I was careful to shut the door!”

Roy glared at her and replied, “Not as careful as you thought.”

“How did you not slam the door shut for your own sanity,” Felicity gasped.

He shrugged. “I decided to take a long walk – run really - and when I came back you were asleep, so I shut it then,” he added casually.

Felicity moaned loudly in frustration and embarrassment.

“Yeah, I heard a lot of _that_. I gotta give it to Mateo – he really knows what he’s doing by the sound of it - Very talented mouth.”

Dig coughed loudly before muttering an unintelligible excuse for leaving the room. He practically bolted out of his seat and into the next room.

Lyla was lounging on the couch looking extremely entertained as John ran away. “I didn’t hear anything, Felicity. I bet Oliver didn’t either,” she added reassuringly.

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. I got to the gym at seven this morning. He was already there. I bet he had a lot of _jealousy_ to work off,” Roy chimed in. He smirked at Felicity and added, “maybe next time try a ball gag to keep ya’ quiet.”

While Lyla held back a laugh, Felicity in annoyance threw the closest pillow at Roy.

“Stop with the BDSM references, Roy,” she hissed.

“Wait, this is a thing between you two?” Lyla asked in surprise.

“He likes to make me blush.”

“That, my dear, is a brother,” Lyla muttered.

Felicity collapsed back in the chair and grumbled, “maybe it’s good I never had siblings.”

Lyla shrugged. “I have two. They aren’t bad… But we don’t talk much.”

“Wait, are you wearing his shirt?” Roy asked dumbfounded.

Felicity pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her feet on the seat and her chin on her knees. Frowning at her mistake and the drastic switch in conversation, she nodded. “He asked for it back this morning – I slept in it – and I told him I’m keeping it. It’s really soft.”

“I’ve kept things before,” Roy stated with ease.

“Yeah, I _bet_ you have. You perv.”

Roy rolled his eyes and smirked. “Granted, I’ve never saved anything after only one night.”

“I’ll never see him again,” she added defensively.

“You want to though, don’t you?” Lyla observed.

“Is that wrong?”

“No. If you felt a connection - you know other than hot sex – then you should see him again.”

“Sure, because once we leave here he’ll be able to see you regularly,” Roy added in disbelief.

Felicity sighed. “Actually, he’s only living here to take care of his grandmother. Surprisingly, he grew up a couple hours away from Starling. He’s gonna move back to California.”

Roy’s eyes widened in surprise. “You actually like him.”

Felicity groaned. “Maybe, I could,” she admitted.

“Felicity, we need info on Shaw soon. I think the guys want to go as soon as Oliver gets back,” Lyla redirected with ease.

Felicity smiled at her gratefully and got to work.

Later that day, Felicity, Dig, Roy and Oliver were walking into the familiar café. Felicity was busy on her tablet trying to get a location on Shaw again, so she was distractedly walking behind the group.

Roy shook his head in frustration. “I don’t think Thea is going to change her mind. She doesn’t want to hear from anyone and I don’t blame her. I mean, we both lied to her. _A lot_.”

Oliver stopped dead in his tracks and the rest of the group followed suit.

“I know. It’s why it’s time to tell her the truth,” he declared.

Felicity whipped her head up in surprise. When she couldn’t find the words to respond, Dig did. He always did.

“Oliver, when you say the truth…” Dig cautioned.

“What happened the five years I was away. Everything we’ve done since I’ve been back. _All of it.”_

“Well, you might want to think about that for a second,” Dig stated.

Felicity kept herself very still as she watched the men speak in quiet whispers to avoid onlookers.

“Lies are what drove Thea away from Starling City in the first place. The truth is the only thing that’s going to bring her back.”

“Except you won’t be telling her the truth _, will_ you? You’ll be telling her that her brother has been lying to her face, with almost pathological sincerity for the past two years. She won’t believe any other word you say. And you will lose her, Oliver… _Forever,”_ John warned.

Oliver’s features were suddenly swallowed in desperation as he threw his hands up in defeat. “Well, look around…I’ve already lost her. I don’t have any other choice.”

Felicity walked between the two men and glanced between them with a hard glare, making them well aware of her presence.

“Neither of you are giving Thea enough credit. She may be young, but she’s been through a lot: losing a father and brother in one day will harden or break anyone. She’s now lost a mother as well and another father-figure. She’s smart, empathetic and she has incredible instincts for when someone is hiding something – that’s been proven time and time again.”

Felicity turned to Oliver, only inches apart and put her hands on his shoulders – to steady herself or him, she wasn’t sure.

“For the first time in two years, I disagree with John Diggle,” she admitted harshly. “I think Thea can handle the truth. Trust your gut.” She paused momentarily to give him a reassuring smile. “Go get your sister back.”

He looked between his three teammates and nodded. Then walked toward the café tables where a tall, thin brunette woman was standing.

When he was far enough away, Felicity turned on her ear piece. “Don’t judge me, but I want to hear this – not just see it from a distance.”

John crossed his arms in disapproval. “Felicity, this moment is private.”

She glared at John and hissed, “Well, I’m not going to televise the recording clearly. I’m just curious to know how much he tells her. As his team, he’s also telling our secret.”

Roy cleared his throat, his body language tense with anxiety. “I’m not going to stick around for this. I’m going back to the hotel. Let me know when you have a location on Shaw,” Roy mumbled.

Felicity nodded and waved him off as she listened closely to the conversation in her ear.

***

Oliver sighed and uncrossed his arms, trying to gain confidence. “Can I talk to you?” he asked.

“Look, between you and your new best friend Roy, I’m pretty sure you guys have said everything.”

He glanced behind Thea and caught sight of Felicity momentarily. Her smiling face gave him the courage to do what he said next.

“I haven’t. Not yet, anyways,” Oliver admitted.

She nodded and in silence they sat down awkwardly at a table.

Oliver took a deep breath, trying to forget his racing heartbeat. He relaxed his shoulders and tried to smile.

“Roy showed me the note you left him and you were right about everything... I have lied, I have kept secrets… The truth is that if I tell you _all_ the things that you don’t know about me, then I might lose you forever.” Thea’s features tensed immeasurably in distress, but he continued on without another thought.

“I spent five years in the worst kind of hell… And there were things that happened. There were things that _I_ _did_ … That if – If you knew, you would see me differently.”

Thea shook her head in disagreement. Leaning toward him she said, “ _No_. I’ll always see you as my big brother. I mean, no matter what happened to you on that island or who you became, it’s the secrets you kept about _my own life.”_

Thea’s lip shook slightly as her eyes began to water.

_“_ I mean, you lied to me about who my _father_ was, Ollie.s”

Oliver gripped his hand tightly under the table. He swallowed, his throat tense and gritty from emotion before stating calmly, “Malcolm may have been your blood… But Robert was your father.”

At the sight of seeing her shake her head in disbelief again, his stomach dropped. _She doesn’t believe me,_ he realized.

“I lied to you about him, too… Dad wasn’t the man we though he was - He was _better._ And I’ve kept something from you because I just… I never wanted you to know.” He paused momentarily and smiled sadly. “Dad made it off ‘The Gambit’ with me.”

“You told me he drowned,” Thea muttered emotionally.

“We made it to a life boat together. But there wasn’t enough food and water for both of us… So - So he killed himself.”

Oliver flashed back to the moment. Seeing his father shoot a man and then himself. The horror hit him all over again as he watched Thea’s features change, but he pushed it aside so he could be there for his sister.

“And that is one secret that I’m telling you now because I need you to realize… Mom and Dad, they sacrificed themselves so that we could _live_. They loved us so much. I just – I just want you to know that,” Oliver added.

Thea nodded. “I know,” she breathed.

“You’re my family, Thea. And even if you don’t need me, I need you… But before you say anything, you should know something else.”

He swallowed hard, his dry throat itching. He may have appeared to be calm and in control, but he felt anything but.

“I know that this isn’t going to mean much. I’ve given you no reason to believe me, but I lied all of this time to protect you… Ever since I came home I’ve been hiding something. Something important.”

Thea was tilting her head at him, holding her breath. In the span of seconds, his mind flashed through scenarios of how this could go badly, but he did it anyway. She deserved to know.

“I’m the arrow.” He clenched his jaw for the blowback and waited.

She froze instantaneously. “You’re him,” she mumbled softly, clearly letting it sink in.

He nodded once swiftly. “Yes.”

“That’s why Roy is here with you,” she put together immediately.

Oliver nodded tightly before adding, “Don’t blame Roy. He lied all that time because I told him to – I didn’t want you in danger.”

“Did mom know?” she inquired while licking her lips.

Oliver smiled at the memory. “The night she died she told me she had known for a while.”

A tear fell down her cheek as she sat there silently. “That was _you_... All those times I got so mad at you for being a flake - or telling me something I knew _had_ to be a lie... You were _always_ there, protecting me. You were always out there saving someone’s life.”

“Yes,” he added slowly, unsure of where the conversation was going.

She stood up and he did as well. He waited for her to hit him, to be angry for risking so much. For being violent or putting Roy in danger. But instead she ran up to him and lunged into his arms for a hug; the way she did when she was little. He clung to her, still frozen in shock. She tucked her chin in against his chest as she held onto her big brother. He could feel her mouth turn up into a smile against his chest.

“Thank you… _Thank you_ , Ollie,” she mumbled into his t-shirt.

***

People carrying luggage walked by the group casually as they sat silently waiting for the plane. She checked her phone before quickly glancing at the empty spot on the bench between Oliver and Roy. If Thea didn’t make it soon, then she wasn’t coming. And if Oliver’s conversation with her didn’t make her want to come home, then nothing would. But Felicity refused to give up hope yet. She smiled at John and Lyla who both looked equally nervous about the possible no show.

She nudged Lyla’s arm gently to get her attention and said, “I’m glad you can go back out in the field, but – just so you know – I could have easily wiped the drive if I was involved in the play by play.”

 Felicity fake coughed loudly while mumbling, “Dig.”

“It wasn’t my call at the time, Felicity. We’ve had this conversation. Things happened fast and you weren’t on comms or nearby,” John defended himself.

Felicity rolled her eyes halfheartedly before whispering, “I know. I really do get it. I just also want Lyla and the secret spy organization she works for to know I have her back.”

Lyla smiled. “I appreciate it, Felicity. Thank you.”

Felicity pushed her glasses up her nose uncomfortably. “Of course. You’re family now.”

John smiled at the group and kissed Lyla on the forehead.

A few minutes later – after almost twenty minutes of the group anxiously awaiting Thea’s hopeful return – she appeared with luggage in hand a short distance away. Felicity immediately glanced at Oliver and Roy to find looks of joy mixed with guilt.

She walked up to the group. “Hi everyone.”

Oliver grinned from ear to ear. “I’m glad you could make it,” he said softly.

She sat down between the two men and intertwined her fingers with Roy hesitantly. He almost pulled away, but paused to lock eyes with her.

Thea smiled sadly at him. “Don’t get all emotional or anything – you’re not all forgiven. Yet…”

Roy grinned at her promptly – Felicity watched on as a look of relief and joy overcame his expression for the first time since he originally found the note months ago.

After waiting for their jet, which was running late, they boarded the plane. Immediately John and Lyla found their seats and Roy put away Thea’s luggage.

Thea was watching everyone closely and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Oliver asked as he sat down in the same spot as last time.

“Nothing. Just – everyone here _knows_?” she inquired cryptically.

Oliver smiled apologetically and answered, “Yes. Roy and John are often in the field with me. Lyla joins sometimes too and she’s John’s girlfriend. And Felicity does everything tech for us.”

Thea nodded slowly and tilted her head toward Dig. “You knew Roy was sick – that’s why you were following me around in the club, that time,” she noted out loud.

“Yeah,” he acknowledged.

She turned to Felicity and added, “And that’s why you became Ollie’s assistant last year even though you went to MIT. And why you were always around at weird times in the club… I just thought you two were hooking up.”

Roy hid his expression while he sat down across from Lyla and John. He gestured for Thea to join him. She did.

“No,” Felicity answered, “Our relationship is completely platonic. We’re friends and work colleagues, that’s it.”

Thea smirked and raised her eyebrows at the woman’s immediate response. “Okay, then. Good to know,” she added dryly.

“So where do you all meet up? You must have a secret lair or something…” Thea asked suddenly.

Before anyone could say anything, Oliver replied, “I’ll show you when we get back.”

“Okay.”

Felicity took that as her que to shut up. It might be a hard blow for Thea to find out that their “lair” as she called it was actually in the club’s basement. Oliver deserved the chance to show her himself.

Felicity buckled up, smiling to herself at the sight in front of her. John and Lyla were curled up together holding hands comfortably while Roy and Thea sat opposite them. Thea was resting her head against Roy’s shoulder, her eyes closed, as Roy held her hand with one hand and rubbed her arm with his other. For the first time since the battle with Slade’s army, Felicity thought Roy looked lighter, happy. He was content.

She looked down in front of her when her phone buzzed in her hand. She assumed it was just one of her many reminders, but it wasn’t.

“Safe flight.”

She smiled as she read the text from Mateo.

Yesterday morning, she had texted him after her friends left for the mission. They ended up talking on the phone for over an hour last night as well, which surprised her at the time. She had assumed he only wanted a fling with her, but he seemed interested.

Felicity decided to not over analyze the situation for now. It was fun flirting with him, so maybe she’d continue for a bit. Maybe not. She doubted he’d move back home any time soon, so she knew it couldn’t be anything serious.

“That him?” Oliver asked softly, breaking Felicity out of her daze.

Frowning, she put her phone away silently.

“It everything okay?” He swallowed and locked his jaw in frustration.

Felicity shook it off and smiled. “Yeah, it’s good. Mateo texted me.” She paused momentarily to rethink her next move but bulldozed through it anyway. She added softly, hoping to avoid being overheard, “It seems Roy could _hear_ me the other night. I’m – I’m not sure if you could… If you did, I’m sorry. But I’m not sorry for sleeping with him.” She felt a blush creep up her cheeks, but it needed to be said.

He smiled tightly at Felicity before responding, “I didn’t hear anything.”

“Oh,” she mumbled as she watched his body language closely. She recognized the same tells now as she had on the island; he most definitely heard. She bit the inside of her mouth uncomfortably in the silence of the plane.

Oliver sighed, a trace of despair momentarily visible in his features. “Felicity, you never need to apologize to me.”

She glanced up and smiled at him hopefully in response, unsure of what to say next.

He frowned: his mouth creased, his jaw taught, his eyes intense. He spoke slowly, intently as he uttered, “I _do_ though… I never told you – and I should have – but I’m sorry.” They locked eyes before he continued on. “I’m sorry that I treated you the way I did over this past year. I never meant to hurt you. I – I don’t know what I meant.” He shook his head in frustration. “I’ve been with a lot of women. I – I wasn’t a good person. I’m trying to be better now, but I’ve made a lot of mistakes. It doesn’t change anything now, but you deserve to know that I – I regretted sleeping with Isabelle the moment it happened.”

Felicity took slow steady breathes and blinked rapidly. Never in her wildest dreams would she ever have thought Oliver would apologize to her in such a candid and honest manner. Heck, she didn’t know if he was truly capable of apologizing.

She swallowed her nerves and asked, “So why did you do it?”

Oliver leaned back in his chair. “On some level I _knew_ what I was doing. I knew it would push us apart and I needed a distraction from you.” He grimaced and quickly added with a tone of sincerity and vulnerability, “I never meant for you to see her in my room though. The look on your face… That, I’ll never forgive myself for.” He stopped himself from continuing even though Felicity knew he wanted to say more.

“Sara was right,” Felicity mumbled. When Oliver smirked at her she bit her lip, debating what to say next.

Oliver huffed in faux-frustration at her response. “Just ask it. I know you have questions,” he added coolly.

Felicity groaned. “I’m not sure if I should.”

“Try me.”

Felicity pushed her glasses up with her forefinger casually – a nervous habit – as she formulated her thoughts. Eventually she inquired, “Why did Isabelle say those things to me when she left your room? I mean, I know there were rumors about us, but it just seemed more specific.”

Oliver ground his teeth and looked away, a slight blush appeared on his cheeks slowly. The look of embarrassment on his face told her everything.

She gasped as it dawned on her. “You said my name _during_ , didn’t you?” she blurted out.

He closed his eyes and refused to meet her gaze. “Yes,” he whispered.

Felicity giggled loudly at the thought of Isabelle’s evil face at that moment as she desperately avoiding the other parts. . “Bitch, serves her right,” she murmured happily.

Oliver let out a deep breath and grinned warmly at the laughing blonde woman across from him.

Once the plane was in the air and she stopped laughing, she smiled at Oliver. It took a lot of guts for him to admit what he did, what he felt.

“Oliver,” she stated softly to get his attention.

He turned his head to look at her and asked, “yeah?”

“Thank you for the apology.”

With thin lips drawn together he nodded.

A little while later the plane was humming quietly through the air. The majority of the passengers were asleep, reading or had headphones on, except Felicity and Oliver. Felicity was staring out of the window at the clouds, thinking.

She went through every moment, every decision that lead her here. She could have declined the job straight out of school like she wanted, but Felicity’s obsession with planning and having a safety net made her take the job. Even thought it wasn’t an exciting offer. If she had passed on it, then would she have ever met Oliver? Would she have been given the chance to help him and become a part of a team? A team of vigilantes who truly help people. Would she ever have made such a difference in people’s lives at such a young age? Deep down, she knew the answer. No, she wouldn’t have.

“It’s incredible how much things can change in such little time. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes, not,” she muttered to herself.

Oliver hummed in agreement. She watched him as he glanced at Thea with an expression Felicity couldn’t read.

She raised her eyebrows at his expression. She had no idea what he was getting at. She considered saying something. With Oliver though she usually got more with silence.

He looked out the window before continuing. “I’ve been thinking a lot about my years away recently… Nothing good happened for five years.”

Felicity nodded seriously, listening intently. “They sound like they involved a whole lotta suck.” She was desperate to ask a question, but he needed to control this conversation. She knew that much about him.

Oliver glanced out the airplane window at the clouds. “You know, I wasn’t always on the island,” he added hesitantly.

Felicity shrugged, smiling sadly at him. “I figured. You don’t learn how to fly a plane on an abandoned island all alone,” she replied softly.

Oliver nodded tensely but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. “True,” he muttered.

“So, where were you?”

Okay, so holding her tongue didn’t last long.

“For one, Hong Kong.”

Felicity raised her eyebrows in shock at the revelation. “Why?”

Oliver’s eyes glazed over as he rubbed two of his fingers together slowly. “Not my choice,” he admitted.

Felicity pulled her legs up and curled into the reclining chair to get comfortable.

“Do tell then.”

“Waller.”

Felicity hummed. “That’s why you hate Lyla’s boss so much,” she deduced.

“Yes. Let’s just say, we didn’t get along.”

“I doubt most people would get along with people who forces them to do something.”

Oliver nodded, clearly deep in thought. “I suppose… But it’s more than that. Amanda fostered the worst and darkest parts of me. I’m not proud of who I became during that time and how it changed me.”

Felicity nodded in response, unsure of what to say. He didn’t have to explicitly say it for her to know what he meant. Waller taught Oliver how to torture people and god knows what else. Eventually she sighed and pushed her hair behind her ear.

“I’m sorry you’ve gone through so much. I know it still weighs on you.”

They locked eyes momentarily, a sense of comradery and understanding passed between them silently.

“It always will,” Oliver admitted quietly.

Felicity cleared her throat nervously. “You don’t have to tell me, but where else did you go?”

He glanced in the direction of Thea before responding, “I was on the island for around three years, Hong Kong for ten months and Russia for a year.”

“Was Russia also by force?” she inquired, testing the boundaries of what he was willing to share.

Oliver shook his head and continued. “No, I met some people on Lian Yu from Russia. I – I chose to go there for someone who died on the island. I spent a lot of time with Anatoli and the brotherhood… I wasn’t ready to go home yet.”

Felicity nodded, unwilling to interrupt him.

“A bit over a year and a half before I officially came home, I visited Starling City with a fellow agent.”

“What?” Felicity uttered in shock. “I had no idea.”

Oliver clenched his jaw, his lips turning into a taut line. “No one did. Amanda promised to kill anyone who saw my face.”

“Wow… I see why you hate her.”

Oliver hummed in agreement. “Yeah, but I did see Thea,” he admitted painfully.

“I take it didn’t go well from the look on your face,” she retorted.

Oliver ran his fingers through his short hair and glanced out the window again. “No. Thea was worse than I expected. I expected her to be different, but she was _so_ different. Older of course, but darker. More troubled. I saw her visiting my grave, but she wasn’t there to talk to us… She was meeting her drug dealer.”

Felicity’s stomach dropped at the thought.

“She was maybe fifteen and she was meeting a drug dealer at the gravesite of her father and brother... I couldn’t believe it, so I followed her later that day to a party. I kept my distance from her, for her own safety, but I found the dealer. I – I confronted him and told him to stay away from her. In seconds he recognized me. He was about to yell, so I attacked him. I didn’t know what else to do. In a twisted way, I felt like I was protecting Thea. Even when I couldn’t be there for her at least I could take him away from her, keep her safe from him.” He paused and watched Felicity closely. “There wasn’t a choice because of Amanda’s threat, but I don’t regret it. I’d do anything for my sister.”

“You were in an impossible situation – you did what you had to. I know you’d do anything for Thea. You love her very much.” Felicity smiled reassuringly at Oliver. “Did you see anyone else while home?”

Suddenly he became tenser, more reserved, but he responded. “Yes. I saw my mom, but only for a few seconds. I saw Tommy, Laurel and.” He paused for a split second stopping himself, which Felicity felt was odd. “I - I also found a video on my dad’s computer that eventually inspired me to become the arrow.”

“That must have been beyond tough to see everyone, but not let them see you.”

Oliver glanced at Thea, a pained expression crossing his features. “Yes, it might be one of the most difficult two days of my life.” When he looked toward Felicity he stopped. “What?” he asked suddenly alert.

She shook her head and waved her hand in the air. “Nothing,” she muttered softly while trying to sound casual. However, the truth was she was shocked by how much Oliver was willing to open up to her tonight. It was refreshing.

He let it go, but he knew there was something she wasn’t saying.

She smiled at him and added, “Thea’s back now and she knows everything. When we get home, I need to get some sleep because I have work tomorrow. But maybe you could take Thea to the club and show her.”

Oliver grimaced. “Do you think she’ll be mad about the location?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Maybe, but I’m guessing if she was okay with the whole Arrow thing, I’m betting she’ll be fine.”

“Okay. I will.”

“Maybe go to the movies too? You know, something normal,” she hummed.

He chuckled. “Normal, yeah. I’m great at that.”


	15. Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after they get back from Corto Maltese life goes back to normal for Felicity. Her days consist of training, work and more work. The plot thickens when China White appears back in Starling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> General Warning: the next two chapters will contain discussions of human trafficking. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy and thank you for following!! :-)

 

 

 

**July 21 st 2014**

 

**10 AM**

Felicity was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling fast, sweat beads falling from her brow as she tried to gain her footing in the foundry. They had been training for almost two hours now: self-defense, boxing and now bos.

John tapped her left leg with the wooden stick. “You’re putting too much weight on your back leg,” he commanded.

She straightened out her stance before they began training again, the sounds of bos resounding throughout the Foundry yet again.

In between motions, she asked, “Why did Oliver cancel on me this morning?”

Dig took the opening and propelled a swift one two motion that caught Felicity in her torso. She groaned as she dropped the stick in the flurry of motion, trying to defend herself against John’s moves.

“Okay. Two-minute break. Get some water,” Dig relented as Felicity grabbed her stomach.

Felicity mumbled “thank god” before walking to her desk, grabbing her water bottle and taking a large sip. Dig walked over and did the same.

“So, are you going to answer my question?”

“What?” Dig asked, clearly confused.

Felicity raised her eyebrows at him. “Oliver…”

He chuckled lightly and shook his head. “Oh sorry. Yeah. He’s out with Thea – that’s all I know.”

She smiled. “It seems she’s taking everything well. Did she spend the night with Roy?” she asked, hesitantly.

“Oliver mentioned something about picking her up at his place.”

She nodded in approval. “Hopefully, Roy will start feeling happier again,” she added wistfully. “He deserves it.” Dig put his bottle down and smiled at her. “What?” she inquired, slightly unnerved.

“Nothing, really. Just, it’s nice how close you two are.”

“He’s the baby brother I never had,” she said.

“He’s not that much younger than you, Felicity,” Dig laughed.

She shrugged and replied, “He’s four years younger – that counts.”

John smiled and gave up. “Okay… I never would’ve imagined two years ago that this team would become a family.”

Felicity snorted and added cheekily, “I concur.” After a couple of seconds Felicity sighed again.

“What’s wrong this time?” he asked, the warmness gone. He was back in his military mode.

“I’m fine. Just hot. I wish the basement stayed colder, but the a/c doesn’t reach down here very well.”

He crossed his bare arms, smiling. “Why do you wear so many layers anyway? It’s over 90 degrees outside.”

Felicity looked down and grasped her t-shirt. While glaring at him in half annoyance, half amusement, she mused, “This is a simple t-shirt and leggings. It’s minimal layers; some wouldn’t even _count_ this as layers.”

“In the military Lyla always stayed covered up because of the assholes who harassed her, but otherwise she would just wear her sports bra. She said it was more comfortable,” Dig replied casually.

“Well, yeah. I’d normally just wear a thin tank top and sports bra, but um… Mateo kinda left some marks and I figured you wouldn’t wanna see them. You know, just tryin’ to be sisterly and all, especially after you ran away like a scared puppy dog in the hotel,” Felicity admitted clumsily.

John held back a laugh. “Felicity, I don’t care. Whatever makes you feel more comfortable, so we can get back to training… _Now_.”

She shrugged in reply and slipped off her high neck black t-shirt, which covered everything, revealing a matching bright blue sports bra. She threw the shirt on top of her handbag and smiled awkwardly at him.

She wasn’t joking before. Mateo _had_ left hickies all over her chest, one on her neck and even one on her low stomach. They were fading, but still quite visible. Thankfully, her leggings covered the one on her stomach. But the sight did give one an unneeded visual of the night’s events. Considering Dig’s response to seeing her the morning after, she was just trying to be considerate.

She took another sip of water and asked, “We’re good?”

Dig stared at her body for a moment, a slight blush creeped up his neck, but he nodded in agreement as he brushed off the moment. “It seems you really did have a good night, huh?”

Felicity laughed at the absurdity of it all, but managed a nod in response. They both walked back to the mats; Felicity waited for her next instructions.

“Since we didn’t do a run this morning, you should do resistance work for your legs and abs.”

“Kay. Just tell me what to do,” Felicity hummed.

John tossed her a band and furrowed his brows. “Wait, are you saying Oliver hasn’t done this with you before?”

Felicity shrugged. “Nope. We usually do a twenty-minute run and some combo of weights, self-defense, boxing, bo’s and mat exercises like crunches, leg lifts, squats. You know, the usual.”

Dig nodded in thought. “Okay, well Lyla lives by resistance training. The bands will help you build lean muscle mass, strength and control. You may end up liking them more than weights.”

She held up the colored band. “Cool, so what do I do with this?” she asked.

“We’ll do arms first, then abs and legs: speed curls, squats, the tricycle, leg lifts, clam shell, oblique curls and a few others should be a good start,” Dig decided out-loud.

“ _Great,_ I’m super excited,” Felicity deadpanned. She barely recognized the names John ran through.

“Would you rather Oliver train you?” Diggle replied coolly.

Felicity shook her head quickly. “No, you’re much nicer. He doesn’t take any shit while training. I’ve tallied the number of times I’ve gotten him to laugh – It’s actually a fun game, to be honest… It’s a _rare_ occurrence.”

“Felicity,” Dig muttered, cutting her off mid thought.

“Okay, fine. No more distractions,” she admitted with a slight eye roll.

She didn’t mind exercising, but the level of seriousness both men conveyed while training her was starting to get a bit boring.

“Okay. Hold both ends of the band, place your feet directly on the part that’s now lying on the floor. _Yes,_ like that. And then do curls with your arms and a squat at the same time. The band will add resistance, but not too much.”

Felicity got into position and did a few very slowly.

“Good. Now three sets of 10.”

Twenty minutes later after several new exercises and the usual training, she was left sore and exhausted. Felicity was sprawled out on the mat feeling winded.

“I have to say, I’m impressed... In the short amount of time Oliver has been training you, you’ve improved greatly: in speed, strength, technique and endurance.”

Dig threw a clean towel to her from where he was standing, which she caught. Felicity smiled at the compliment and began wiping some sweat off her body.

“Thanks. It’s been a hell of a lotta effort. I went too many days without wearing heels because of the hell he put me through. Thankfully, my body’s getting used to it.”

“I’m glad he finally relented. I feel better about you being able to defend yourself now,” Dig admitted as he toweled off his head.

Felicity stood up and undid her hair tie so she could dry off her hair a bit. “Me too,” she agreed. Once her hair was dry enough she threw it back up it a high bun to keep it off her neck. “Did Lyla hear anything back from Waller yet?” she queried.

“She was supposed to report in to Waller today. I’ll find out tonight, I assume.”

Felicity nodded along slowly. “She’s going to be pissed that he turned on the agency,” she admitted.

“Yeah. Lyla will talk her down though,” Dig replied confidently. After toweling off some sweat, Dig slipped on his shirt again.

Felicity sat down on the edge of her desk and took a sip of water before asking, “Have you found out the sex of the baby yet?”

He walked over and leaned against the opposite desk top. “No. We’re both in agreement. We want to wait until she gives birth.”

“Seriously?” Felicity asked, shocked. “I always assumed Lyla would be the planning type.”

He laughed and crossed his arms casually. “She is usually, but I guess we both want this to be a surprise.”

“But what about the baby’s room? Don’t you have to paint and buy stuff?”

“She chose gender neutral colors, so that’s a moot problem.”

They both heard the door open, close again and footsteps against the stairs, but Felicity continued on with the conversation; she figured it was Roy anyway.

“I don’t know. I doubt I could wait that long. I’d want to buy too many cute clothes before the baby’s born, but I suppose that wouldn’t matter too much. Newborns grow out of their clothes fast, right?”

“From what I’ve read, yes.”

“John, have you ever even been around a baby?” she asked hesitantly, a smirk slowly crossing her lips.

He smiled slightly and licked his lips before saying, “Not really. My aunt had a baby when I was a teenager, but I avoided the kid like the plague.”

“So you have a lot of experience then,” Felicity deadpanned.

“I come down here and you’re talking about babies and clothes,” Oliver piped in from the bottom step, sounding utterly unimpressed.

Felicity waved him off. “You’re the one who backed out of the workout. We’ve been training here since eight am. So yes, we are talking about all things baby now.”

“You know Felicity and clothes – it always comes up,” Dig added.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha,” Felicity mocked. “You’re all lucky you have a friend with actual fashion sense. Otherwise, John would never be seen without a white t-shirt”

“True,” Dig admitted.

“Yes, _very_ tight ones actually… And Oliver, you’d still be wearing those horrible cargo shorts every day.”

“Hey,” Oliver replied, “you never said you hated them.”

Felicity shrugged. “No straight woman would ever hate them on you when you’re shirtless because _hello_ , but yeah. Kind of… You were on an island (or island adjacent) for five years. I didn’t have the heart to tell you they went out of style in, like, 2006.”

“Wait, what?”

Felicity bit her lip before muttering, “sorry.”

She glanced in John’s direction and noticed him stifling a laugh.

“What should I wear then?” Oliver asked, suddenly looking apprehensive.

Felicity held in a laugh before saying, “shorts are fine, just none with massive pockets – if you’re working out, then wear athletic wear like everyone else. Ask Thea to take you shopping... She’ll find you something decent. However, she might not be the best at bargain shopping.”

Oliver nodded, which made Felicity smile. He walked over to the duo and asked, “How did training go? I’m sorry I couldn’t make it this morning, but Thea wanted to have breakfast.”

 “It went well. Felicity’s made great improvement,” Dig replied with military ease.

“It’s all good. How’s Thea?” she chimed in.

Oliver grinned, his muscles relaxing like they always did when it was just them in the foundry. “Good,” he hummed.

“How did showing her the Foundry go?” Felicity asked.

“Surprisingly well. I assumed she’d be upset I’ve been using the club as a hideout, but she understood.”

Felicity playfully slapped him on the arm and smiled. “That’s fantastic!” she replied happily. “You didn’t give her the code though, did you?” 

He shook his head. “No. I told her she can’t come down here.”

Felicity’s eyebrows rose in shock. “You’re going to kick her out completely.”

Oliver sighed before saying, “That was the plan. She’s planning on opening the club again though, so that might be difficult.”

She smirked at the two men in front of her before replying. “It’s _Thea_ , so yeah.”

He glanced down momentarily and noticed a few bruises on her skin. His head snapped up to look between Felicity and Dig.

“What happened? Did you get hurt?”

Before John could respond, Felicity got Oliver’s attention.

“I might have a small bruise tomorrow from a hit to my stomach, but no… They’re – Those aren’t from training,” she admitted slowly.

When the realization dawned on him, they made eye contact. He froze, his muscles tightened, jaw clenched and lips drawn into a thin line. He nodded once swiftly and walked away to put a few things down without another word.

Felicity silently groaned and shared a look with John – a soundless conversation took place.

She didn’t necessarily feel bad about what just happened, but she didn’t like straining her relationship with her friends or the team. She’d always care about Oliver, but she wasn’t going to wait around for him like a puppy dog waiting for a treat. She was bound to move on with someone, whether or not that someone’s Mateo was still up for debate.

She slipped on her t-shirt and grabbed her phone. “I should get going anyway. I have work in an hour. I’ll meet you both here around 8:30 tonight, kay?” Felicity asked the two while staring at her phone.

“Sounds good, see you later, Felicity,” John replied coolly.

***

Before Felicity could say anything else, her phone rang. She answered it immediately.

“Hey _, you._ Why are you calling so early?”

She readjusted the phone and grabbed her handbag.

“No. I’ve leaving the gym now. I was just working out with my friend John.”

On her way up the steps, Oliver heard Felicity giggle. Once out of sight he heard her whisper, “Yeah, _him_ … Yes, your t-shirt is very comfy. Thank you for giving me it – No. You _gave_ it to me. Maybe I refused to give it back… _Semantics_.”

 When the door to Verdant was closed and he heard Felicity no more, Oliver let out a deep breath.

“How are you doing, man?” John asked, his voice soft and understanding.

He turned around to face his friend and grimaced, “I’m fine.”

John’s eyebrows rose as he retorted, “I think we all know that isn’t true.”

“It’s what I _have_ to be,” he admitted before running his hands through his hair in frustration.

“If you refuse to be with her, then yes. You’ll have to deal with it. Felicity isn’t a nun, nor is she a prize to possess. She will move on. She _should_. If not with this guy, then some other man… Even if she’s in love with you too.”

Oliver’s stomach was twisted in knots as the jealously he felt began boiling over.

“What do you expect of me, John? We both know I can’t be with her, but I never want to _see that_ ,” he hissed in exasperation.

“Look, it isn’t up to you to decide what’s right for someone else and you _can’t_ protect everyone by distancing yourself from them. If you feel you shouldn’t be with Felicity for some reason other than a paternalistic fixation with protecting her or because you’re the arrow, then maybe you shouldn’t be with her. That’s your decision, even if I do disagree with you and think you’re being ridiculous about it… But don’t get in her way of being happy. You hear me?”

“I hear you.”

“Good,” John replied before clapping him on the back as an act of support. “I know you love her, but you need to either move on as well or decide if you can commit to her and make her happy. I won’t let you hurt her again.”

Oliver closed his eyes and muttered, “she told you about the kiss, didn’t she?”

“Yeah… So, make up your mind and commit to her for the long hall or step back and let her find happiness with someone else. Either way, you can’t act the way you did just now in front of her. It’s rude and childish. You’re both adults. You need to start acting like it,” Dig chided.

Deep down he knew what Dig was telling him was true. He needed to step up and be a better friend.

“Okay,” Oliver agreed softly while glancing past his friend at Felicity’s empty desk. “I’ve been trying. I think I succeeded on the plane,” Oliver admitted slowly.

John crossed his arms and asked for clarification, “What?”

Oliver took another deep breath and continued. “On the plane… We had a long conversation. I talked a lot – for me that is – and I apologized for my behavior and for Isabelle. You knew about that as well, I’m guessing.”

Dig smiled apologetically before answering, “Yes, I knew, but didn’t feel it was necessary for me to reprimand you for sleeping with your father’s mistress. You knew it was wrong, even before you knew who she was… So, you apologized?”

Oliver nodded his head as he fidgeted nervously, his fingers rubbing together in a circular motion. “Yes, and I told her more about my time away. Things I’ve – I’ve never told anyone.”

“You opened up to her,” Dig simplified.

Oliver shrugged. “Yes. It was nice between us, like it was before I said anything or anything happened.”

“Go back, then.” John walked over to him and put a hand on Oliver’s shoulder in support. “Until you figure out what you can give her, just be her friend. Don’t over think it, just be there for her.”

The tightness in his chest dissipated at the thought slightly, even though his imagination was still reeling over the thought of Mateo kissing and licking Felicity’s flesh; the hickies that graced Felicity’s body were a roadmap of the other man’s lips. It bothered him. But he needed to move past it. He knew he could. Just like he did the other day after listening to Felicity moan all night because of that man’s touch. He’ll find a way.

“I can do that,” Oliver replied with confidence, even if his voice was shaky.

***

“Sorry I didn’t call you sooner. What’s up? You said you needed to talk to me about Barry or something?” Felicity asked lightly into her cell as she turned off her car. She was parked behind Verdant.

There was momentary silence, which let Felicity’s mind wander with all sorts of ridiculous scenarios. She needed to cut them off immediately.

“I know we aren’t friends really,” Felicity interjected. “I mean, we barely know each other, but you absolutely can talk to me about anything. That’s why I gave you my cell the last time I was in Central City,”

“Thanks, Felicity,” Iris stated. “It’s just I was wondering what happened when Barry visited you,” she added hesitantly.

She leaned back against the seat’s headrest and closed her eyes. “He didn’t talk much about what _happened._ He wanted to get away from the reminders… He was worried about you. It was killing him seeing you so devastated and being able to do nothing… I’m really sorry about Eddie. I know I’ve already said that multiple times, but it still deems repeating. How are you doing?”

Iris sighed on the other end of the line before saying, “Thank you. I’m doing a bit better, but it’s hard. And now I’m concerned about Barry… He’s become really distant. He refuses to let anyone help him at the lab or even with clean up. He disbanded the _team,_ Felicity. I thought – I’m not sure what I thought. I guess I hoped maybe he said something to you that might help me.”

“I’m sorry, Iris. I’m not sure how much help I’m going to be. I don’t talk to Barry often. We haven’t been more than distant friends in a while, but I would assume you know more than me. You’re his best friend.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, “but it was worth a shot.”

Felicity smiled sadly. “It’s always worth a try. Just don’t give up on him. I told him this when he was here and maybe you should hear it too… Everyone grieves differently. If he wants space maybe give it to him,”

Iris half sobbed half laughed in response. “That’s exactly what my dad said.”

“You’re dad’s pretty smart.”

“Yea, sometimes.”                                                              

Felicity sighed when she opened her eyes. Roy was staring at her, leaning against the frame of the back door, smirking. When they caught eyes, he signaled for her to come inside.

“It looks like I need to go. Second shift is about to start,” she mused. “Hopefully my team will be in good spirits tonight.”

Iris chuckled lightly. “Good luck. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Kay, bye,” Felicity muttered before ending the call and throwing her phone in her handbag.

Once she reached the building she greeted Roy in their usual fashion, but this time Felicity added a wink to the mix.

“So how’s Thea?” Felicity teased as they walked into the semi-abandoned building.

“Good. She hasn’t completely forgiven me, but we’re good. She stayed over last night – we talked until the morning,” Roy replied happily.

Felicity smiled and winked. “ _Talked_ , huh,” she teased.

Roy rolled his eyes. “We talked. She wanted to know every detail about my joining the team. She asked about you a lot too.”

 “Why would she care about me?” she asked curiously.

Roy shrugged before saying, “You’re on the team, so why not? She asked basic things like, you know, why you joined the team, when, your relationship with everyone etc.”

Felicity punched the code into the secret keypad, the door clicked and Roy opened it. They made there way down to the foundry to find John and Oliver talking among themselves. She threw her bag on her desk chair and walked over to the men with Roy next to her.

“What’s the plan for tonight?” Roy asked.

Diggle crossed his arms and nodded at Oliver. He glanced at the two before speaking. “We’ve heard radio chatter from the local police station that there’s a Triad shipment going down soon – maybe not tonight, but within the next week. Can you find it, Felicity? Roy go get dressed. We’re leaving in 10,” Oliver ordered.

Roy and Felicity immediately went about their duties. She walked to her desk to start running her usual algorithms.

 “I’ll check the usual, but it might take too long,” she replied as her fingers flew across the keyboard. A moment later a recent police station release list popped up. She scanned it for possible suspects or witnesses. “Three hours ago, Henry Ong, a listed member of the Triad, was picked up. It looks like he was just released – lack of evidence,” she stated.

“Where is he now?” Oliver demanded.

“I’m looking,” Felicity muttered as she pulled up his cellphone gps data.

“He’s in a warehouse on corner of 34th and Central.”

Oliver squeezed her shoulder lightly, a supportive gesture he did often. “Good, thanks.”

“Get the coms ready. We leave in five,” he told John.

Twenty minutes later, Oliver, Roy and John were walking into a dark and abandoned warehouse Felicity sent them to that was located in the Glades.

“He should still be there,” Felicity muttered.

“Where?” Oliver asked, his deep and gravelly incognito voice ringing through the coms.

Felicity checked her record of the old warehouse plans. “Upstairs. Second door to your left. He and a group of at least five men are there, but I have no video upstairs.”

She watched as the three men silently – well, mostly – ran up the stairs, heading in the direction of the meeting, until she lost sight of them. She sat there, still as could be, as she tried to listen to the distant noises coming from her friend’s microphones.

“Stop,” Oliver whispered.

“What’s happening?” Felicity asked.

John replied slowly, “Ong is meeting with a group of Triad members.”

“Take a picture,” she demanded.

“It’s too dark,” Oliver growled in frustration.

“Let’s just get em,” Roy whispered energetically.

Felicity rolled her eyes at Roy’s reaction. He was always too trigger happy for a fight, but so was Oliver. No wonder they got along, she thought to herself.

“Wait,” Oliver hissed.

“Can you hear them at least?” she asked.

“Yes, partly. Now _stop_ talking,” Roy muttered.

Felicity was sick of waiting around so she got to work trying to access any of their phones.

“Now,” Oliver ordered.

Moments later a fight broke out that lasted a few minutes at most.

After the noise died down, Oliver growled, “Two got away. Arsenal is following them. Three unconscious and one awake here. Call the Captain.”

Felicity immediately dialed Quinton’s cell phone number and told him the details.

“The police will be there in a few minutes,” she stated calmly.

The triad had been slipping through their fingers for months. The Triad had mysterious ‘shipments’ every few weeks, if that, and it was on a sporadic schedule. Each time Felicity figured out the meeting location at the last minute, but the Triad were ready for them. Since the police force were low on numbers, the team were on their own each time. The only reason the whole team left for vacation, and not just a couple of them, was because Laurel promised that her dad and her had it covered.

 

Felicity was typing away on her keyboard, her eyes glued to the screens in front of her, when Oliver, John and Roy walked into the foundry. Roy slammed his bow down on the table before walking over to her.

“You lost them, huh?” Felicity inquired without taking her eyes off the computer screen.

“Yes,” Roy said with despair.

“You’ll get them next time.”

Oliver walked over to her slowly. Once reaching her side he stated, “None of them would give anything up – even with a push from me. Did you get anything?”

She turned around in her seat to look at them. “Yes and no,” she replied tensely. When no one spoke, she swiveled around in her seat again and explained, “While you were in the field I had a little time to play around. Lucky for us one of the men was silly enough to bring his own iphone with him. I hacked into it and this is what I recorded.” She pressed play.

Suddenly a group of men were speaking loudly in the foundry.

_“You didn’t say anything, did you?” demanded a man with an intimidating voice._

“That’s one of the guys I chased,” Roy interrupted. They all nodded to him in reply.

_“No! No! Of course not. I promise. They know nothing about the shipment. Only that it’s happening soon. That’s what the detective eluded to.”_

_“Good,” said the man with a deep voice. “Because if you’re lying to me, your wife and children will pay. You will watch on as my men torture and kill them.”_

_“I - I promise. I gave the police nothing.”_

_“Then everything’s on schedule... How many girls do you have this time?”_

_A third man answered, “Seventeen.”_

_“Ages?”_

_“From eight to twelve.”_

_“Good. China will be pleased.”_

Felicity ended the recording and glanced at the group. “That’s just a fraction of the conversation. I’m running the mysterious man’s voice through our voice recognition software now, but I’m not holding my breath. Most likely I’m going to need more to ID him.”

Oliver nodded in reply before declaring, “China White’s back.”

“Yep,” Felicity agreed loudly as dread filled her.

John interjected, “White is tomorrow’s problem. Right now, we need to focus on the girls they’re trafficking.”

“Yes. John’s right,” Oliver agreed. “Felicity, was anything else on the recording that could help us?”

She shook her head. “Right now, no, but Ong definitely knows more. We might be able to force the information out of him if we could get him and his family protective custody first.”

“I’ll call Laurel.”

Less than an hour later, Laurel had joined the group in the foundry. They had just finished the recording and were now debating how to handle the situation.

“The recording is inadmissible in court – I can’t use it! Ong _should_ be able to get protective detail, but _legally_ I can’t do it with what you have,” Laurel replied.

“So don’t use it in court,” Oliver muttered.

“I’m the assistant DA now, Ollie. I need to act above board. I can’t threaten Ong, a _suspect_ and _witness_ , into giving up information – that’s coercion. That’s what _you_ do, not me. If people found out, then the whole case could get thrown out.”

“Then we have nothing, Laurel. You need to do _something_ ,” Oliver hissed in frustration. He glanced at Roy and added, “Roy and I are going back out – let’s see if we can find any other Triad members to talk to.”

“Sure,” Roy mumbled, trying to stay out of the fight.

“Felicity,” Oliver stated kindly – shockingly so considered how angry he was moments ago.

She glanced up and smiled uncomfortably. “Yeah, what do you need?”

“Do your magic – I need a name of the mystery man in charge and I need to know when and where they’re sending the girls.”

 “Okay. Go, we got this,” Felicity replied.

Roy and Oliver left the foundry immediately. Once the door shut Felicity took a deep breath and groaned.

“What if I could get the recording on public record?” she asked hesitantly.

Laurel crossed her arms, deep in thought. “First priority needs to be the girls,” she retorted.

“Yes, but how do we get the girls without Ong on our side? I’m doing what I can, but I’m running out of options.”

“I’ll do what I can, but I don’t know,” Laurel admitted.

Felicity raised her voice in anger. “We’ve already lost at least twenty girls to these assholes! I won’t do it again. I _refuse_ to.”

The cumulation of over a month of losing to the Triad and many of the lost little girls faces running through her thoughts, her anger and frustration was beginning to boil over. She needed to keep her emotions in check, so she could efficiently do her work, but she momentarily snapped.

Laurel nodded. “I agree. I’ll try with Ong and see what I can do. If he turns on them, I’m going to need you to get his family the second I give you the signal. I won’t save the other girls only to put his daughters in danger instead,” she added slowly. “Someone else might be loose lipped as well. I’ll head to the station now.”

“Thank you,” Felicity said. “I’ll keep looking on my end too.”

They all nodded in agreement and walked off in the respective directions of their assignments.

As Felicity typed away, she was looking for possible ways to get an ID on the mystery man and track the girls. She was also trying to think up loopholes in the system so they could get the men locked up for a long time. She went through all of her tv knowledge, and that one pre-law class she took in college, silently as she waited on more information from Oliver.

 However, as time passed she felt John behind her breathing on her neck. At first it was fine, she told herself, but it became increasingly annoying.

Finally, she broke down. “Do you need something John?” she asked ever so politely that it didn’t even feel like her. She didn’t take her eyes off the screen nor her finger tips from the keys.

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked.

She took a deep breath before answering. She hit a few keys, grabbed her tablet and opened a couple of the apps (custom coded software for certain team arrow activities).

She held the tablet up for him to take and replied, “Yes. I accessed all of the phones that the guys were carrying and tracked the signals for up to six hours before the time of the meeting. I need you to go through the cataloged data and try to find a security or traffic camera I can hack into that crossed their paths. It’s the long way around, but if plan A doesn’t work we’ll need this information.”

“Plan A involves hacking into SCPD and using the information they have on the people they picked up at the site, but that may lead no-where. It also involves a few more _highly_ illegal activities that I’ll give you plausible deniability about,” Felicity muttered distractedly.

“Okay, I’ll get on it,” Dig agreed matter-of-factly as he took the tablet and sat down near her.

“Are you okay Dig?” she asked as she typed. She sensed something off about the man.

“Yeah.”

“Try again.”

He sighed, his eyes never leaving the tablet, before replying. He spoke slowly. “Yes. It’s just, it’s tough. The fact that most of the little girls, that we know of, who are missing come from low income black families hits too close to home.”

Felicity momentarily stopped typing and turned around to face him. She waited for him to continue.

“It’s wrong that so many missing children of color go undetected, are under reported and under investigated. The systematic racism hits me like a train each day I deal with a case like this. The fact that I’m about to have a _child_ just makes it worse.”

Felicity reached out, slipping her small hand in his, and smiled reassuringly. “I don’t understand how that must feel, but that’s why we’re here. We _will_ find the girls and we’ll bring them home to their families, safely. I know it,” she uttered confidently.

John nodded and squeezed her hand. “We should get back to work.”

“Yes, we should.”

“Felicity, it isn’t tonight,” Oliver growled over the coms in his arrow voice.

She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, letting the panic that had set in die down.

“Felicity, are you there?”

With closed eyes she answered, “Yeah, I’m here. What did you hear? Did you get any leads?”

“No. the man I talked to isn’t high up in the food chain, but he knows it’s going down this week – he heard his boss talking about it.

“Who’s his boss?” felicity interjected immediately, the butterflies coming back.

“He doesn’t know. All he knows is the code name, Japan.”

“What kind of code name is that?” she muttered. “Not very double-o-seven.”

“What kind of name is _China_ ,” Roy mumbled in reply.

“True. Anything else?”

“No… Anything on your end?”

“Laurel’s should be at the station now talking to Ong.”

“Good,” he growled.

By the end of the night it was obvious that it was a bust. Although they had multiple leads, they went no-where helpful. At least not yet. They still had some time, even though they didn’t know how much.

Felicity hoped it was enough, but she left the Foundry that night after two am feeling desperate and hopeless for the third time tracking the triad. She went over those nights in her head over and over again, trying to find some flaw in her methodology. But there wasn’t anything that stuck out to her.

The problem was that no one seemed to know where the drop would occur or where the girls were being held - they had their activities under complete lock and key. It only made matters worse that it seemed no one had seen the boss controlling this scheme. By the time they found out the drop location, they barely had enough time to get there let alone have police presence available or plan the attack effectively. Each time they were out manned and out gunned.

Felicity refused to let that happen again. This time they were going to win.


	16. What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of the China White/human trafficking plot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was tough to write, so I'll just give you all a warning ahead of time. It handles a lot of heavy subject matter. Some people may want to skip it, but it's important for the overall plot and character development so hopefully ya'll will give it a shot. 
> 
> As always I do not own anything DC related and I have no beta, so if you see any mistakes let me know! 
> 
> Every comment and like I get makes my day, so thank you for reading! :-))

**July 23 rd 2014**

 

“Three coming up on your left,” Felicity said calmly into the coms, telling Oliver and Dig how many assailants were in their immediate proximity. She heard grunting, fists hitting what she could only assume to be bodies, possibly metal and someone hitting pavement. She grimaced when she heard bones crack.

 _Hopefully, that wasn’t a neck_ , she thought.

 If there were security cameras in the warehouse she could have watched the fight. There wasn’t. Though, she could get a heat signature from hacking into a lovely local ARGUS satellite. The warehouse was farther away than usual, so she had to use her handy and _slightly_ illegal hacking skills tonight, which silently thrilled her. She loved a good hack.

“I see a group of people – six to be exact – second door to the left. Not sure if they are friendly or foe. I’m _assumin_ g foe, but Lance did say he’d get a team on it… I can’t imagine they’d be hanging out there though.” She paused momentarily and then asked, “Foe works, right? It isn’t too cliché?”

For the first time in over twenty minutes she heard Oliver speak. “Felicity, I need to focus and so do _you_ ,” he growled. He clearly sounded frustrated with her, but it was likely the situation, not her.

“Sorry,” she muttered quietly. She huffed silently, not taking him too seriously. He never lost his focus when she asked a question over the course of the almost two years they’d worked together, so he was clearly just taking his anger out on her.

Suddenly, the three men engaged in a fight with the others that was over almost immediately.

“Six down,” Roy mumbled into his com unit.

She shifted her eyes to one area of the screen, realizing some of the people had military grade assault rifles. Other’s looked huddled together. She quickly tapped her coms habitually. There was no need for it though since it was constantly on, unless she turned hers off.

Felicity’s heart skipped a beat. “At least eight assailants with military grade weapons coming up straight ahead… I think we found the victims too.” Her voice cracked.

She heard Dig respond, “We’re going in... Any change?”

She quickly did a double take to see if anyone had moved. “Nope. Go in hot.” She was really starting to enjoy the lingo.

 She heard them open the door through the coms and guns immediately started firing. All she could do was wait, watch and see if anyone else was coming. And to keep an eye on the outside in case they were going to try to escape again with the children.

She jumped when she heard the door open, shut and someone’s footsteps walking down the stairs to the foundry. She froze for a second because Oliver, Dig and Roy were all out in the field. She could hear them talking to each other right now, so who the heck was here? Before she could finish her thought, she swiveled in her chair turning around as quickly and smoothly as possible without making herself dizzy, so she could see their guest. She was lost for words when she saw Laurel Lance standing on the bottom step to the foundry, in her usual suit, carrying a folder.

“Is Ollie here,” she asked.

“No. They’re out dealing with the Triad now. I think we’ve found the right warehouse this time,” Felicity answered immediately.

Laurel nodded in approval, “Good.” She walked closer to look over Felicity’s shoulder at the computer screen. “What are you doing here?”

She watched Laurel’s expression closely. “Oh, I um, did _something_ to access a satellite so I could get a heat signature for the warehouse,” she said coyly, trying to avoid the illegal part.

 _She is the DA after all,_ she reminded herself.

Laurel smiled knowingly at her, clearly amused.

Suddenly her eyes widened, the sound of guns still sounding in her ear. “Oh Frack…” She turned around in her chair to stare at her computers.

“Felicity! Where _are_ you?”

Oliver sounded pissed. _Frack._ “ _Sorry_! I’m here. What do you need?”

She was frantically searching the additional rooms hoping not to find more gunmen. _Frack. Frack. Frack._ _“_ 10 more coming your way. They were definitely expecting us,” she uttered loudly in frustration at the distraction.

 His voice was calm instantaneously. “I need to cut the power. They have the advantage. Dig’s hit, but he’s okay.”

 She quickly pulled up the warehouse plan; the one she found yesterday in prep for tonight. “There should be a breaker above you to the left. It’s hidden from your eye-line now, but the next floor up is open – a railing is blocking your view… You’ll need to find cover first towards the left.”

“Right,” he mumbled.

She heard running, yelling, Oliver’s compound bow shooting arrows. Abruptly she heard an explosion with a loud crack and the sound of what she assumed were sparks. She nodded in relief. _He hit it_.

“Good. Five more coming from the door to your left.”

She heard muffled noises of people getting punched, gunshots and arrows hitting people. Felicity sighed in relief when she eventually witnessed the majority of bodies immobile on the ground and gun shots halted in the immediate aftermath of the fight.

She heard Dig grunt in acknowledgment or agreement, she wasn’t sure, when Oliver hissed, “They’re down. We need to find the girls.” She heard footsteps through the coms as all three men walked around the room. They were searching the large metal containers that the triad used to transport people, until he finally stopped in his tracks. “I hear them.”

Seconds later Felicity ordered, “They should be two containers down on your left.”

She held her breath, her heart racing, until he finally confirmed that he’d found them. The sounds of metal exploding reverberated through the coms before she heard children softly whimpering.

“No!” a little girl cried in desperation.

“ _It’s okay. We’re not here to hurt you. Any of you. You’re all safe. We’re going to get you home_ ,” Oliver whispered reassuringly in his softest voice – a voice that even Felicity had never heard.

“Is anyone hurt?” Dig asked calmly. 

A number of children voiced answers ranging from sobbing shrieks, pleas for their mothers, other unintelligible responses and eerie silence. It made Felicity’s skin crawl as a small wave of nausea crept up the back of her throat.

When Oliver didn’t say anything she asked quietly, “Are they okay?”

“Yes. They’re okay. Shaken, but physically fine –,” John replied over the coms.

“I’m calling the chief now,” Oliver interrupted.

When the realization that they saved the girls hit her, she fist pumped the air. “Yes,” she mumbled proudly, feeling relief for the first time in weeks.

She whipped her head around to find Laurel stone faced and staring at the screen.

When Laurel glanced at Felicity, she asked quietly, “Did you save them?” Felicity beamed at her, a tear falling from her eye, and nodded. Laurel backed up and let out a gasp of breath, tension leaving her body instantaneously. “Good,” she mumbled quietly, undoubtedly hiding her emotions.

She looked at Laurel with a content and proud smile on her face as she listened to Oliver talk to Lance on the phone. “Oliver, Dig and Roy are with them right now. Dig got shot. Hopefully it isn’t bad, but they should be back soon.” She stopped speaking momentarily to listen to Oliver and nodded to herself as Laurel watched on with raised eyebrows. “Your dad is on his way, so they should be back soon,” she directed at Laurel.

Abruptly she got up and busied herself with the first aid supplies in prep for when Dig arrived. As she got out some supplies from a drawer she asked, “Did you need something Laurel? Not that you couldn’t come visit without a reason – I mean, you’re always welcome here." She bit her lip to stop herself from rambling. When she was overtired and stressed, she was known to be loose lipped. She could voice some very regretful thoughts in Laurel’s presence if she wasn’t careful – she couldn’t risk it.

Despite their recent encounter in the foundry, Laurel hadn’t been down here much in the past few months. Once in a while she appeared, but Felicity and Laurel were barely ever left alone. Hence, the awkward tension. They were fine when in the middle of a mission, but the second Felicity had to make small talk with the woman things became awkward fast.

Laurel was standing where she’d been the whole time, watching Felicity. She noticed the manila folder the lawyer was holding immediately, which meant one thing. She had something for them or she needed something. “You’re surprisingly impressive… I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be rude. I just mean, you’re prepping a suture kit right now.”

Felicity paused, her hands still holding some gauze, and glanced at Laurel, cocking her head to the side slightly while she thought of how to respond. She finally settled on honesty, even if it was bristled with annoyance. “Thank you, I guess.”

She didn’t mean to sound so flippant, but she couldn’t help it. When someone underestimated her - it nagged at her. Being a young blonde woman, who babbled a lot, it happened often in her line of work. The science and tech world were never known to be anything other than misogynistic at it’s core.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way, _I promise._ He told me you work on the team, he just never said what you do other than the vague description of _tech stuff_ – whatever that means.”

Felicity watched her closely before accepting her apology and explanation. “I do the ‘tech stuff’ as Oliver might say, but I’ve learned a thing or two from Dig mostly, but also Sara. _She’s impressive_ when it comes to a microscope,” Felicity replied, smiling slightly.

Laurel swallowed. “I didn’t know that about Sara,” she muttered softly.

Felicity shrugged as she went about prepping the tools she’d need. “She’s not exactly an open book.”

She laughed and walked closer to Felicity. “No, my sister is most definitely _not_ an open book… She’s always been complicated and kept things to herself, but sometimes I barely even recognize her anymore. The island and league did a lot to her,” Laurel admitted.

Felicity nodded in silent agreement, not sure of what to say. It was an odd moment considering she didn’t know how much of her past Sara had told her sister. She didn’t want to overstep and out one of Sara’s secrets, so she stayed quiet.

“It did a number on Oliver too,” Felicity answered softly.

Laurel hummed in agreement. “Yes, but it’s made him a _better_ man… At least he isn’t a cheater anymore. Not to _my_ knowledge at least – maybe you know more than me on that one though,” she admitted, shrinking from her spot near Felicity.

Felicity glanced up at Laurel and saw a mixture of emotions within her eyes. It made her pause momentarily as she tried to decipher the meaning. Before she could muster up the courage to speak the door opened to Verdant. Shortly after Oliver, Dig and Roy walked down the stairs and into the foundry.

Felicity quickly rushed toward Dig, but before she could ask any questions he cut her off, “I’m fine, Felicity. Don’t worry. It’s a flesh wound. I just need to clean it and maybe get a couple of stitches. Can you do it for me?”

She sighed in relief and immediately walked toward the table following closely behind him. “Of course. I’m getting good at stitches finally,” she replied.

As she started to clean his arm she drifted off, thinking about what Laurel had said to her before they were interrupted, but cut herself off instantaneously. She refused to go down _that_ rabbit hole. Instead she muttered to Dig while smirking, “You know, if you two didn’t get shot so often I would probably still want to throw up when I see a needle. I still can’t deal with doctors using them on me, but at least I can work on other people now.”

Diggle tilted his head at her, his eyebrows furrowed in agitation. “I don’t get shot that often.”

“Are you offended, John Diggle?” she gasped teasingly.

Roy huffed in amusement.

John turned to glare at Roy. “Do you have something to say to me?"

Roy shook his head. “No, of course not."

Once Oliver reached the bottom step he tiredly smiled at Laurel, pretending to not hear the conversation between his team mates. He would have been surprised to see her, but he heard Felicity talking to her on the coms.

In fact, he actually heard their entire conversation because Felicity forgot to turn off the speaker on her com unit yet again. He would never admit that to Felicity though. When he heard Laurel say what she did to Felicity his stomach dropped, yet Dig seemed amused. At that moment, he was at the door to the foundry and had paused, his hand about to reach for the code pad. He wanted to know what Felicity would say in response, but John didn’t let him. He had stepped past Oliver and typed in the passcode himself before shaking his head at Oliver – clearly reading his mind.  

Oliver tuned out the moment. “What’s up Laurel?”

She smiled at him uncomfortably. “I hear you caught the Triad traffickers tonight, good job.”

Oliver nodded. “Thanks, but we still need to get China White and Japan, whomever he is. Otherwise, we’ve only saved a few of the many.”

He frowned at the thought of other children like the ones he found. He felt sick seeing the girls terrified wide eyes, puffy and red from crying. He wouldn’t forget the sound of wailing coming from some of them when they realized they weren’t there to hurt them; it would haunt him for years.

Laurel looked grim but quickly smirked. “Typical Ollie, do you always have to be negative about everything? You saved those girls. That’s a _good thing_.” She enunciated the last part mockingly to make her point.

“You do know me well,” he mumbled, flashing back to her comment not minutes ago.

“I _do_. Meanwhile, I may be able to help. Here,” she said as she handed him the folder. “I came here tonight because I found something about the man you called ‘japan’.”

Felicity whipped her head up at the mention of the mystery man she’d been trying to track with no luck, but John groaned.

“Oh! I’m sorry,” she whined when she realized she pulled a little too hard on the string.

“It’s okay,” he muttered before saying more loudly, “What’s this about Japan?”

Oliver and Laurel turned around to face the group.

“I found a mention of the code name in one of a Triad members files. He’s now in witness protection. Part of his deal was giving up all of his intel about the Triad. He didn’t know much, but he did get a photo of him _and_ a last name.”

Oliver glanced at the file quickly and asked, “Who is it then?”

Laurel stated, “I think you’ll recognize it… _Na Wei_.”

“White,” Oliver whispered as he looked at a grainy image of the man.

“What are you talking about?” Roy asked perplexed.

Felicity finished off the suture and put down the needle. She turned around and answered Roy, “He must be related to China White. Her real name is Chien Na Wei… She only goes by China White in the U.S.” She looked toward Oliver and continued, “How though? I thought China was the head of Triad?”

“No. She’s the head of the U.S. Triad, not globally,” Laurel replied for him.

“Her father’s the global leader – he’s still living in Hong Kong… But her father is not this man,” Oliver said in frustration.

“How do you know that, Oliver?” Dig interjected. 

“He looks too young, but most importantly because I’ve met her father. This is _not_ him,” Oliver noted coolly as he handed Felicity a picture of the man.

“So, who is he then?” Roy asked.

Felicity took the picture from Oliver and went to work immediately as they continued the conversation.

“If they have the same name and are all high up in the Triad, then they must be related, right?” Roy inquired, feeling slightly out of his element.

Oliver walked over to the team and sat against the table. “I’m assuming he’s Ms. White’s twin brother,” he mumbled.

“What?” Laurel asked startled. “What? How do you know that?”

Felicity froze on the keyboard and looked up at him. “Will your secrets ever end,” she stated lightly.

“Someday probably,” he replied, his lips curling up into a smile.

She raised an eyebrow at his tone and smiled back. “I guess I’ll just have to wait you out then.”

“Okay so if you two are done flirting,” Roy mumbled, “could you get to the point.”

Felicity blushed slightly but went back to work, avoiding everyone’s gaze in the process.

Oliver crossed his arms and continued. “I don’t know much, but I had some dealings with the Triad in Hong Kong four or so years ago… I met China’s father then and I heard some chatter about his ‘twins’ in the business. That’s all I know, but at the time I got the impression that they were speaking about China and a man. I bet a lot of money on it that this is him.”

“Why is he in Starling then?” Felicity muttered to herself.

Laurel sighed. “If China’s back in town, then maybe her brother came with her to oversee she doesn’t get caught again.”

Felicity nodded along to the conversation as she scanned the photo into her software. “It’s very pixelated. It’s gonna take a while to get a match.”

“Okay, well I actually have some work I need to get done tonight for a case I’m first chair on tomorrow, so I should go. I’ve let my dad know White is in town. Let me know if you hear anything else.”

Oliver stood up and strolled over to Laurel. “Will do,” he muttered, smiling. The two of them walked toward the steps together, but once they reached the bottom step she stopped moving.

“I actually have a question I want to ask you,” she stated slowly.

“Shoot,” Oliver replied curtly.

“Actually, this is for everyone,” she spoke loudly so the whole group would give her their attention. “Sara’s going to be in town soon and I was wondering if everyone wanted to come over to my place for dinner. You know, a sort of get together for everyone involved in saving the city from Slade and his men. I thought it would be nice. John, the invite extends to Lyla too of course.”

Oliver smiled. “I’d love to.”

“That sounds lovely, Laurel. Thank you for the invite,” Dig answered.

“I’m in, Roy” mumbled happily.

“What about you, Felicity?” Laurel asked politely.

Felicity was glued to the computer, focused wholly on finding the Triad twins, so she barely heard the invite. “Yeah, I’d love to!” she answered ever so politely. “Just let me know the time and date, I’ll be there.”

“Okay, great,” Laurel mused. “I’ll see you all later then.”

Once Laurel left the foundry and it was just the team she let out a little sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Oliver asked. His timing was impeccable.

Felicity stopped what she was doing and turned around in her chair so she could face the men. “I’m glad we got them, but how were the kids?”

She looked between Oliver, Dig and Roy and realized the sight must have been traumatic for all of them. She suddenly felt nauseated as the events of the past twenty-four hours hit her; no matter how many criminals they faced, no matter the number of times she was kidnapped or held at gunpoint, dealing with human trafficking was by far the worst.

Oliver lightly grasped her shoulder when her face paled slightly at the thought, “The important thing to remember is they will be going back to their homes safely and the men who were keeping them there are now in jail – there was plenty of evidence at the crime scene for them to be put away for a very long time.”

She was trembling slightly, but nodded at his reassurance. His hand was anchoring her in the moment, reminding her that she wasn’t alone. It was comforting. “Let’s just focus on the evil White twins now,” she managed to get out.

Oliver squeezed her shoulder. “Okay,” he whispered.

Shortly after, once they realized the night would be slow from here on out, John and Roy both decided to leave so they could go home to their girlfriends. On the way out, Oliver grabbed Roy’s arm and stopped him.

“Tell Thea I can meet up with her tomorrow afternoon.”

Roy nodded slowly, clearly still trying to get used to the new dynamic. “Sure.”

Felicity smiled to herself at the awkward way Roy spoke to Oliver about Thea. When everyone left she busied herself quickly, getting into the groove of her end of the night routine as the facial recognition software was working on the photo and Oliver sharpened some arrowheads.

After over an hour of listening to him do the same repetitive motion, her ears felt like they were beginning to bleed. After all, it was past one in the morning and she was past the point of caring.

For over a month they had been chasing the Triad and on multiple occasions she had felt that it was her fault for not catching them. The pressure, frustration, lack of sleep and knowledge that there were girls out there right now being forced into prostitution because of her failure was enough to make her hair fall out or cry, which both happened on multiple occasions. The relief in knowing that they’d at least stopped one shipment helped and so did the short-lived vacation, but it wasn’t enough. She needed to end it once and for all.

Knowing that the immediate danger was over, she felt herself crashing. She could barely keep her eyes open and her head was pounding.

“Why do you sharpen arrows late at night? The sound grates on my nerves… It’s worse than nails on a chalk board.” She sounded grumpy, but she didn’t care. It was annoying her.

He froze the moment he heard her and grimaced, an arrow less than 6 inches away from the sharpener. “I’m sorry. I can do it later.” He put the arrow down and turned off the sharpener.

Her elbows were leaning on the desk, her forehead in her hands as she massaged her temple. She let out a groan as she hit a good spot right above her right eyebrow, which helped to lift the veil of pain clouding her vision. She heard his normally quiet footsteps pounding in her ears _._ _Great. He’s walking over to me now,_ she thought to herself.

He lightly stroked her shoulder to get her attention, which she ignored. “Are you okay?” he whispered.

She silently laughed at the absurdity of the question. _I mean, isn’t it obvious?_ Of course, she wasn’t okay. Sure, they thankfully got to the girls this time, but she couldn’t help but feel the weight of the girls lives that she didn’t save. She couldn’t stop thinking about where they were now. How badly they must be suffering every moment of every day. All because she failed to locate them in time. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to keep herself from crying. 

“Feli-c-i-t-y, talk to me.” It’s never good when he enunciated her name.

 She could hear the slight panic in his voice, so she quickly responded, still avoiding looking at him. “I’m fine,” she said her voice quivering with emotion. Sadly, her attempt wasn’t convincing because he didn’t let up.

“Hey,” he whispered as he gently pulled her hand away from her face, so he could see her. “It’s okay. We saved the girls. They’re home now with their parents,” he said trying to sooth her.

She sucked in a deep breath and glanced up at him. “ _Sure_ , we saved like fifteen of them, but what about the others that we lost?” she asked quietly as a tear ran down her cheek. “I can’t imagine what they’re going through… I, I let them down, Oliver. You rely on _me_ to find them, but I was too slow,” she admitted through tears.

“No. That isn’t your fault,” he reminded her, his eyes wide in shock. He intertwined his fingers with hers and squeezed her hand gently, smiling softly as she watched him closely.

Her lip quivered, tears still streaming down her face as she avoided eye contact once again. “Yes, it is,” she whispered, “and I have to live with that.”

She swallowed, her throat tense and raw from the emotions of the day, as Oliver kneeled down on the ground. He untangled their hands and slowly turned her chair, so she was face to face with him.

“You did _nothing_ wrong, Felicity. You can’t stop a global human trafficking ring on your own. There are whole teams of people doing what you do. You’re only one person,” he said slowly, letting each syllable sink in.

She sniffled and took her glasses off, putting them on the table next to her.

“Yes, I _did_ ,” she spoke quickly. “I’m supposed to be one of the smartest hackers on the planet – that’s not me boasting, it’s fact – I won award after award as a child for my abilities. I was in countless hacking tournaments in college and I won almost every single one of them. I was competing against some of the most brilliant minds, student and otherwise, and I won... Oliver, I _won._ So, what - w _hat happened to me_?” she whispered as tears fell down her face freely. “I should be able to beat the Triad – I should be able to track them,” Felicity said through gritted teeth.

Oliver grasped the arms of Felicity’s chair tightly as he replied, “ _Nothing_ is wrong with you… We can’t win every time, Felicity. It’s impossible. I’ve made countless mistakes – you’ve pointed them out to me many a time.”

Felicity chuckled in between tear filled gasps.

“Sometimes we lose and it’s how we deal with those losses that define us… They make us stronger – we learn from them,” Oliver continued.

Felicity took a deep breath to gain control of herself, but instead of stopping she ended up sobbing loudly. She had held in her emotions and fears for far too long. It was boiling over. Even though she wanted to, she couldn’t stop it.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Oliver muttered quietly as he leaned in to hug her, his arms wrapped around her back.

She leaned forward, into his hug, her forehead resting against his chest, her hand grasping his shirt tightly in her fist and began to sob uncontrollably. Her head pounded as she gasped for air, letting the pent-up exhaustion and emotion overwhelm her. Felicity let herself cry in the safety of a friend’s embrace; a friend who she knew understood how she felt.

“Shhh,” he whispered in her ear, “it’s going to be okay.”

Once she had cried for a while the tears began to dry, but Oliver was still silently sitting next to her on the floor of the foundry. She wiped the drying tears from her eyes and let out a deep breath. As she regained her senses she became slightly embarrassed by her outburst.

“Here.” He handed her another tissue.

“Thanks,” she mumbled in embarrassment as she took the tissue, avoiding eye contact at all cost.

“You feeling any better?” he asked slowly.

She groaned at her own behavior and grimaced at the motion, a stab of pain grazing her throat from crying loudly.  She looked up at the ceiling when she muttered, “yeah… I’m sorry about _this_. I’m more of a crier when I’m really tired.”

“Felicity, look at me,” he stated kindly and she did. “You don’t need to be sorry. You can always talk to me. No matter what we are or aren’t. You can talk to me about anything. We’ll always be friends… I wasn’t lying to you when I said that you could always tell me about your day.”

She smiled softly, exhaustion hitting her like a brick wall, as she curled up in her chair. “Thank you. I couldn’t talk about it, but it’s been bothering me for a while and I guess I just exploded. The relief and guilt about the girls made it unbearable.”

He nodded. “I understand.”

Felicity shrugged it off and put her glasses back on, signaling to Oliver that she was done bursting into tears.

Do you need a ride home?”

“Yea,” she groaned. “My headache is even worse now. I couldn’t possibly drive,” Felicity admitted, sighing in resignation. She hated asking for help, but she needed it tonight. “Can you please change first though, your thighs rubbing together in that leather suit sounds horrible.”

He laughed, but agreed. When he was done changing and she’d turned off everything for the night they walked out together to his motorcycle and drove to her apartment in a comfortable silence, at least on her part.

“Do you need help?” he asked as she got off the bike.

Felicity glanced at him like he had two heads, “Oliver, it’s sweet of you to offer, but it’s only a headache. I can walk up some stairs. I promise.” She smiled at him endearingly because she knew he meant well.

“Okay. We can skip training tomorrow morning, if you want.”

“I have work at eleven and I cannot imagine waking up at six tomorrow, so that’s probably a good idea… By the way, I never shut down the facial recognition software run on the photo, so it might pop up before I get there tomorrow. I have an alert on it – so I’ll know immediately by phone – but you might want to check on it.”

“Felicity,” he asked lightly.

“Yea.”

“Are you _sure_ you’re okay?” he stated softly

She tilted her head at him and nodded. “I’ll be okay tomorrow. _Right now_ , I need sleep.”

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yep… Hey, Oliver,” she whispered intently. He stopped putting on his helmet and glanced at her. “Thank you for being a good friend tonight.”

He grinned. “Any time.”

She quickly opened her purse, grabbed her keys and smiled at him before walking into her apartment building without a second glance, so she could finally crash into her beautifully soft bed and close her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to change the name of my story after a lot of thought. When I started writing this story I had assumed there would be more romance, so I choose a Shakespeare qoute about love because of Felicity's love of Shakespeare. But as I began writing I realized the character development and relationships I wanted to focus on were mainly friendships, so I finally decided to just go for it. I changed it. I also changed the story's summary a bit to reflect the change, so hopefully there won't be any confusion. 
> 
> All my love to everyone who's been reading my work. :-)


	17. Love Looks Not With Thy Eye, But With Thy Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers a lot... A cute moment between Roy and Thea, John, Lyla and Felicity meeting up at a coffee shop and finally the Lance friends and family dinner, starting with a nice chat between all the women associated with Team Arrow.

**July 26 th 2014 **

She groaned in annoyance when she felt the sun hit her closed eyelids, swiftly turning her head into Roy’s warmth to block out the light. Roy chuckled at the noise, which made Thea scrunch up her nose at him. She refused to move or speak. It had been a long night.

When Roy came home from vigilante-ing last night and Thea was done working on club business, Thea had a surprise for him that included a blindfold. Once Roy realized it wasn’t a kinky surprise he was grumpy the whole way. However, when she took the blindfold off he was stunned. They were standing in a large two-story modern apartment with large windows, a fireplace and an open floorplan kitchen. A fire was lit and blankets, pillows and wine were all placed on the floor near it. Once Roy had regained his senses and Thea had spelled out her plan he was elated, which led to this.

Sadly, Roy wasn’t as interested in silence this morning.

“Morning,” he whispered.

Thea’s arm was wrapped around his stomach loosely. He gently ran his fingers up and down her arm in a soothing pattern.

“ _No_ , go back to sleep,” Thea whined. She pushed her face into his chest further to block out any and all light. “Remind me to buy blinds today.”

Roy smiled as he watched her features disappear behind her hair. “I don’t have work. I do have a thing tonight though,” he whispered.

“Kay,” she hummed as she cuddled against his body, intertwining their legs.

“I’ve been thinking,” he added.

“No. Don’t think,” Thea replied sleepily. “Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth when you use that tone.”

He tugged at her shoulders lightly to get her to look up at him. In response, she placed her hands on his chest, pushing herself up slightly and resting her chin on the back of her hands.

After glancing at his stubbornly cute expression, she smiled and relented. “Okay. I’m listening. Talk.”

He ran his fingers down her back absentmindedly. “I know it’s been an adjustment for you. We’ve all kept so much from you, but especially Oliver being the arrow.”

She shrugged casually. “Yea, so?”

“The other day you mentioned you barely know your brother anymore. How much that hurts you.”

Thea’s neck tightened, her lips pursed in agitation. “That was a bad moment – that’s all,” she denied.

“ _Thea_ – .”

She sighed heavily and looked behind him at the fireplace. “Yes, it bothers me, but I don’t know what to do.”

“I might have an idea.”

She raised her eyebrows and glared at him. “What are you thinking Roy Harper?” she inquired, a feeling a dread settled in her stomach like lead. She never enjoyed talking about her feelings, especially when she was vulnerable. Discussing her relationship with Ollie was no expectation.

“You know I would like nothing more than to live here with you. To be able to fuck you anywhere whenever we want would be a _dream_ – That kitchen counter seems to be a perfect height,” he mused distractedly as he glanced behind Thea toward the kitchen.

She bit her lip and smirked at the thought, but it quickly turned into a frown. “We could give that a shot now,” she teased overtly. “If what I’m feeling on my leg is any indication, you’re _more_ than ready.” 

He bit back a groan as she moved her leg ever so slightly causing a gentle friction. “Thea,” he breathed. “This is _serious_.”

 “Fine. I’ll stop _for_ _now_. Go on…”

“Babe, I love you – But I think it might be a good idea if you asked your brother to move in with you instead.”

Thea sat up, grasping the top blanket as she went, covering herself with the cloth. “You don’t want to live with me,” she stated coldly.

“No, no, no, no, no. That’s not it,” Roy hurried, shaking his head feverishly. He sat up and gripped her forearms lightly until she would look at him. “I love you,” he conveyed with warmth. “I’m a better person because of you... I want to spend the rest of my life with you, grow old. Hell, even get married and have babies one day.”

Thea chuckled dryly. “Don’t get ahead of yourself – It’s not like I proposed.” She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry and itchy.

“Hey,” Roy whispered, sensing her insecurities. “I’m serious. I don’t want to pressure you. There’s no rush. But you have to know you’re _it_ for me. I would marry you today, if you asked.”

She stopped breathing for a second, her heart beating wildly as she studied her boyfriends face trying to decipher truth from lie, but he wasn’t lying. That startled her.

“We’ve never talked about the future. I – I don’t know what to say,” Thea croaked out.

“I know. We don’t have to talk about it – I don’t care if we ever get married or have kids, if you don’t want to. I just want you to know that I’m here for the long haul. Whatever that might be. For however long we have. I’m here.”

“Then why not live with me,” she whispered. “It’s not like we haven’t before…”

“It has nothing to do with our relationship. It has to do with yours. You deserve a chance to get to know your brother, without secrets between you.”

“He won’t be happy I paid for the apartment with Merlyn money. Regardless of where I’m living,” she replied hesitantly.

She made a mental note to herself to turn down the a/c as goosebumps overtook her flesh.

Roy sat up next to her, he grasped her free hand lightly. “He may not like it, but he was your father. It’s rightfully your money and you should be able to live comfortably.” He glanced around and grinned at her. “Even if this is _more_ than comfortable – it’s not a castle.”

“Don’t push it,” Thea whispered.

Leaning forward he kissed her gently and leaned back slightly so he could look into her eyes. “What do you think?” he asked too casually.

Smiling, she tilted her head at him and studied his features. “I think it would be nice to spend more time with him. Either way, he shouldn’t keep sleeping in that basement.”

“He sleeps on a cheap bed Felicity bought him,” Roy added.

“What’s up with those two? Did something happen between them or something?”

“You should probably ask Oliver that, not me,” Roy replied coolly.

Thea playfully slapped his shoulder. “So, something _did_ happen!”

“It’s complicated.”

“Everything is complicated with that man,” she hissed.

“Yes,” Roy admitted.

“Now that that conversation is over, can we please get back to your other _very_ tempting thoughts,” she breathed, leaning forward and hovering inches in front of his lips. While gazing into his eyes she let the blanket fall to the floor, revealing her breasts, her hands gliding lower on his frame.

He groaned, his chest rising and falling quickly. “Thea, hold that thought.”

“Stop talking,” she whined defiantly.

He shook it off and laughed silently. “ _No_ , it’s not that. I need to go to the bathroom.”

She sighed, biting her lip, and leaning back, her hands rested on the floor, the blanket partly covering her lower stomach and legs. “It’s upstairs to the right.”

He nodded, slowly stood up and grabbed his boxers.

“No,” she teased with a wink, ordering him to throw them on the floor. “I want a _show_.”

Roy shook his head and smirked at her. “Fine,” he mumbled before throwing the underwear on the ground and walking up the stairs.

She bit her lip happily as she watched him go. _God, I missed that ass,_ Thea thought to herself, admiring the view.

*******

“I hear Nyssa’s coming to dinner tonight,” Lyla mumbled in between sips of her decaf coffee.

Felicity rolled her eyes at John’s reaction and glared at the couple sitting across from her. They had been seated at a small table at their favorite coffee shop for an hour chatting.

“Will you at least give her a chance?” Felicity quipped in frustration. She was tired of having this conversation.

John grumbled something unintelligible while Lyla raised an eyebrow at him, but she was the only one to answer.

“Felicity, why are _you_ giving her a chance? She’s an assassin. Out of everyone on the team I would think you’d be having the most difficult time trusting her.”  Lyla put down the cup and muttered angrily, “what’s the point of drinking this crap anyway.”

John smiled at her and rubbed the back of his pregnant girlfriend’s neck sweetly. “Only three more months ‘til you can have the real stuff,” he replied lightly before leaning in to peck a kiss on her forehead.

Normally the sweet gesture would soften Felicity’s demeaner, but not right now. She took a gulp of her latte and shrugged. “It’s not like I’d trust Nyssa with my life, but if Sara loves her, then that’s enough for me; if she actually gives us a reason to distrust her, then that would be different, but that’s not the case. Not to mention the fact that _technically_ Sara’s an assassin too. And Lyla, so are you – just because your missions are state sanctioned doesn’t mean it isn’t murder.”

Lyla looked like she was about to argue, but just as quickly as she opened it, she closed her mouth tensely.

“That’s a topic of contention in our house,” Dig explained.

Felicity nodded in understanding and continued on, pretending she didn’t step in something.

“It’s just dinner. As long as we can all get along like the adults we are, it should be fine. She might even surprise you – she surprised _me_.”

“I’ll be polite. The only person I’m worried about is Oliver,” Dig replied shortly.

Felicity sighed. “Hopefully he’ll be uncharacteristically nice tonight.”

“Don’t count on it.”

 

Later that day, Felicity casually walked up a staircase, the wood creaking as she went. She continued down a long hallway with dark wood details lining the walls until she reached a door. She took a deep breath and psyched herself up. _It’s no big deal. It’s just dinner with a bunch of friends. How scary could that be?_ she thought to herself. _Well, it is Laurel Lance’s home. The Laurel Lance._

You know, Oliver’s longtime love, the Starling City ADA and the daughter of Captain Lance. The woman whom Felicity both admired and feared. She also happened to be Sara’s sister – At least that was in Felicity’s favor.

She shook off her nerves, the same nerves she always felt in certain social situations, and stopped herself from thinking any further. She knocked three times, bit her lip and waited. Seconds later, she heard someone walking toward the door. Suddenly it opened revealing Sara, smiling wide, wearing a tank top and jeans.

“Felicity, hi! Come on in,” Sara greeted warmly as she embraced her blonde friend.

“It’s good to see you,” Felicity mumbled into the woman’s shoulder.

“You too,” Sara hummed happily after releasing her from a hug.

“I’m sorry I’m early. Is there anything I can do to help get ready for dinner?” she asked, as she glanced around the apartment. Compared to her own, the place was palatial.

Sara huffed in dismissal, waving her hand casually at the living room. “You’re fine. Don’t worry. Laurel and Nyssa are just finishing up the salad. Would you like a drink?”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll wait ‘til dinner.”

“Okay, then you can either hang out in here or follow me. _I_ have to set the table,” Sara replied with ease. “Isn’t that every little sister’s job?” she yelled for her sister’s benefit.

Felicity nodded slowly, feeling out of her element as she followed Sara to the dining room.

“Hey Felicity! I’m glad you could make it,” Laurel interjected loudly from the kitchen. Without a beat Laurel hollered, “And, Sara, my _sweet_ sister, it’s better than actually cooking the meal. If you cooked, we’d all be in the hospital!”

Felicity folded her arms lightly against her chest, trying to keep herself from cracking. After all, she didn’t want to be a hypocrite; Felicity’s also a horrible cook.

The siblings continued to bicker for a few more minutes and Felicity watched on in amusement – she didn’t have any siblings and their dynamic was so drastically different from Oliver and Thea’s, yet the same.

“My cooking isn’t _that_ bad!” Sara continued. “Remember the lasagna I made for you and dad that time when I was in college? You _liked_ that.”

Laurel laughed loudly. Evidently mocking her.

“ _Come on._ I’m not a horrible cook. Nyssa, tell her,” Sara demanded as she put down the silverware. Silence enveloped the apartment.

“ _Nyssa_?”

Besides the flicker of muffled laughter coming from kitchen, there was nothing.

“ _Wow_ , you’re really going to betray me like that!” Sara emphatically croaked out in playful surprise as she set the table.

“Hello, Felicity,” Nyssa stated politely when she entered the room. She instantaneously gravitated toward Sara and set down a stack of plates on the table, their bodies hovering closely, almost touching.

“Hi,” she replied weakly, feeling like she should be doing something to assist them. She had offered to help but since they considered her a guest they refused.

After putting the plates down Nyssa glided toward Sara and rested her forehead on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “You know I would never betray you, my love.”

Sara turned around and inspected Nyssa’s features, clearly waiting for something.

Felicity held back a smirk at the sight before her.

Nyssa sighed lightly and caressed Sara’s wrists before continuing. “I love you, but you are no chef _._ Luckily for you _,_ I’ll be happy to cook for you every day for the rest of our lives.”

Sara tilted her head and grinned at the woman standing before her. “I guess I am lucky,” she echoed tenderly.

Nyssa hummed in agreement before giving Sara a soft peck on the lips. Once they made up, they went back to setting the table. Out of the corner of their eyes they’d often send each other subtle glances and smiles – it was adorable.

Felicity scrunched up her face in thought as the women went about setting the table in silence. As she watched on, she reflected on their body language, their attitudes. In all ways, they seemed to truly fit as a couple. The display baffled her.

Sara put down the last plate and looked at Felicity, noticing her expression immediately. “What is it?”

“It’s nothing,” she muttered.

Sara raised one eyebrow in question and smirked. “Well, now I have to know.”

Nyssa walked into the room again after grabbing a few more glasses and grazed her lips lightly on Sara’s cheek for a moment. “Know what, my dear?” Nyssa inquired.

Sara motioned toward Felicity and added, “Whatever she’s thinking about.”

Nyssa lightly placed her hand on Sara’s hip, closing the distance between them and glanced at Felicity expectantly.

“Okay, I give up. I was just wondering… How did you know you were falling in love with each other?” Felicity mumbled, her cheeks turning flush.

Sara smirked at her girlfriend in reply. Suddenly Nyssa looked incredibly uncomfortable at the turn of conversation.

“You don’t have to tell me,” she babbled. “I’m just curious because you two are so cute together. Not in a million years would I have guessed you’d fall in love like this. I mean, Sara is not the sappy type at all or at least not from what I’ve seen. Certainly not when you were with Oliver, especially not in public. I mean, I have no idea what you were like in _private_ together, but I’m going to skip over that fun fact for now. You know, before your girlfriend _kills_ me. From the look on your face right now, I’m assuming it could be minutes away. Anyway, moving on… I’d never guess an _assassin,_ the freakin’ daughter of the demon – which still sounds like a movie title to me – would be the cuddly type. I’m going to shut up now before one of you silences me for eternity.”

She counted backwards in her head, 3, 2, 1 and took a deep breath. She immediately regretted her word vomit.

Sara started giggling, but Nyssa didn’t seem to understand the joke.

“You do talk a lot,” Nyssa observed, cocking her head slightly to the left.

“Yea, I’ve heard that once or twice – even from you,” Felicity admitted dryly.

Laurel walked out of the kitchen holding a large wooden bowl filled with a garden salad. “Don’t worry about it. It’s been an adjustment for me too,” she admitted as she placed the bowl on the table.

“Seeing me happy or with a woman?” Sara teased.

 “Honestly, both,” Laurel admitted, mid shrug. “It’s been a good surprise though – for the most part.” The sisters shared a glance before Sara turned back toward Felicity. “The food’s ready. Why don’t we all sit down while we wait for everyone?” Laurel suggested, pointing to the living room.

The group of women followed Laurels lead: Sara and Nyssa sat on the couch together while Felicity and Laurel each grabbed an armchair.

“Felicity had a good question though. How _did_ you two get together? I mean, before her you didn’t. _You know_ ,” Laurel asked hesitantly.

“No,” Sara stated, clearly unfazed. “You don’t need to act coy, Laurel. Before Nyssa, no. I had only been with men, but I knew I was attracted to women too. I just never explored it – it wasn’t a big deal to me.”

Laurel took a sip of her drink and added insistently, “Well, then how did you two get together.”

Nyssa glanced between all three women. “I must admit, it wasn’t instantaneous.”

Sara patted Nyssa’s hand and muttered, “Sweetie, don’t gush too much.”

Nyssa glared at her girlfriend. “I’m not one for sarcasm, Sara. You know that.”

“I was teasing, honey,” Sara whispered before pressing her lips together in a tight smile.

“Yes, well. As you all can see, we don’t exactly have similar personalities.”

Felicity nodded along, her eyebrows raised in question at Sara’s reaction.

Sara shrugged lazily and continued for Nyssa, “We didn’t fall in love immediately, as Nyssa already said. But once we became friends, I fell for her. Our relationship might not work on paper or even appear to be healthy to outsiders. But personally, I’ve never been happier than when I’m with Nyssa. She balances me. Going back to the league was a blessing and a sacrifice…”

“How did you _know_ though?” Felicity muttered.

Nyssa stared at Felicity with a look of sincerity. “I loved Sara the moment I realized I didn’t _want_ to live another moment without her. Sara breathed life into my soul the day she walked into it… Love isn’t logical, it may not always make sense. It simply _is._ ”

Sara smiled sweetly as she clasped her arm with Nyssa’s and cuddled in. “Look who’s a poet,” she whispered endearingly.

“Love looks not with thy eye, but with thy mind,” Felicity muttered to herself.

Nyssa glanced at her and nodded, stating “and, therefore, is winged cupid painted blind.”

“What’s going on?” Sara asked, a look of confusion painted on her features.

“Shakespeare,” Laurel answered knowingly.

“A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” Felicity interjected. “I used to think the quote was silly, but maybe love is blind.”

Nyssa smirked at Felicity. “You are speaking of play written over four-hundred years ago by a misogynistic white man about a fairy induced love triangle between Hermia, Demetrius, and Lysander while Helena is left in the middle. Although the play is a classic, it’s overt idiocy. They all try to kill each other, sleep together or both.”

Felicity gasped. “That’s the point! I’m not saying Shakespeare was a great man, but Helena was speaking of the absurdity of loving a man who lusted after someone else. She’s saying love is senseless.”

Nyssa chuckled silently. “I never said the play didn’t have it’s points.”

“You cannot control who you love,” Laurel argued softly. “I’ve never been one for Shakespeare, but he did understand the irrationality of love and tragedy. Our lives could easily be seen as a Shakespearian drama.”

Sara smiled sadly at her sister.

“I mean, I fell in love with a boy who takes off with his dad and my sister on a sabotaged boat. Somehow they survive and come back from a deserted island as assassins and hooded vigilantes.”

“That is a lot,” Felicity mumbled uncomfortably.

Sara shrugged. “We’re not your typical family, but I think it’s working just fine, right?”

Laurel nodded in agreement before saying, “The past is in the past.”

Sara smiled at her sister endearingly before replying to Felicity. “Knowing when you’re in love is complicated. It’s when you know in your gut that you’ve found the person you can envision a life with. Someone who can make even the worst moments better. If you simplify it, it’s a feeling. You just _know_.”

“I’m thrilled you’re both so happy together, but that’s not helpful,” Felicity whined.

Sara frowned. “Man trouble?”

Felicity grimaced and diverted her eyes. “A guy I spent the night with on vacation wants to visit me here… I told him I’d think about it.”

“Do you like him,” Nyssa asked.

“Yes. I mean, I think I could possibly love him… _One day_. He’s funny, smart and attractive.” She quickly glanced at the women who were all watching her closely. “He likes a lot of the things I do. We talk on the phone for hours at a time. He’s sweet, but he lives far away – I mean, _really_ far away.” She pushed her glasses up her nose uncomfortably before continuing. “On paper, the more I get to know him, the more I think he could be right for me.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Laurel piped in.

Felicity was momentarily startled by Laurel’s question, but quickly composed herself. She crossed her arms protectively before replying. “It’s complicated.”

Laurel smiled knowingly at her. “You can’t control who you love, but you can move on. Do what you feel is right.” She paused for a moment, a look of sadness overcame her eyes but it vanished seconds later. “I wish I had truly given Tommy a chance… I – I realized my mistake too late.”

Felicity nodded in understanding, her mind whirling with thoughts. “I’m really sorry about Tommy, Laurel,” she mumbled softly.

Laurel tilted her head at the woman. “You were working with Oliver that night,” she stated as it dawned on her.

“Yes. I started working with Oliver and Dig after Walter was taken."

Laurel pulled her legs up onto the chair. 

"I disabled one of the earthquake machines, but we didn’t know there were two. I should have found it,” Felicity explained.

Laurel held up a hand to stop her from rambling and smiled calmly. “It’s not your fault, just like it wasn’t Ollie’s fault. You both saved hundreds of lives that day. You don’t need to explain. It’s been over a year now - It’s okay.”

Felicity swallowed. She wanted to argue with Laurel, but eventually relented with a curt nod in the brunette’s direction.

The room went silent.

 Finally, Sara interrupted the silence. “Has Oliver been training you?”

“Yes, for a couple months now. Dig and Oliver are both training me in self-defense and weapons.”

Sara nodded tightly.

“Everyone should take self-defense,” Laurel interjected. “I’ve been thinking of signing up for boxing – might be a good way to blow off steam.”

Sara smirked at her. “ _Sure._ And it has nothing to do with a particular coach you just met at a coffee shop.”

“He’s nice – that’s all.”

Sara held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, if that’s _all_ ,” she teased.

“I love boxing. It’s my favorite part of training,” Felicity replied.

Laurel smiled at her gratefully. “We should box together sometime then.”

“That’d be fun.” She grinned at the woman happily. Surprisingly, the night wasn’t going as she feared.

A half an hour later, after everyone arrived, they were all gathered around Laurel’s dining room table. Laurel cleared her throat and on que everyone turned toward the noise.

“Thank you all for coming – I wanted to do something to thank you for what you did and continue to do for our city and the people in it. Let’s celebrate the good you’ve all done while remembering the ones we’ve lost in the fight…” Laurel looked toward Oliver, who sat next to Dig and Felicity and nodded. “To Robert and Moira.”

Oliver raised his glass toward Laurel. “To Tommy.”

“Here, here!” Sara said. Everyone made noises of agreement.

“Now dig in!” Laurel mused happily. “There’s no nuts or pork in anything Felicity, so you should be able to eat it all.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you,” Felicity muttered as she grabbed some salad. She wasn’t used to people being so thoughtful when it came to her dietary needs. “I can eat most nuts, just not peanuts,” she added as she dribbled some dressing on her salad.

Once everyone became more comfortable with each other the dinner ran smoothly. Sara updated everyone on her life - no matter how vague the details were – and Laurel talked about how Quinton was handling desk duty. They discussed a few cases Laurel had been working on, Lyla and Dig talked about the baby-to-be and Oliver and Felicity piped in when appropriate. The only person who was painfully silent was Roy – Felicity assumed she’d hear the reason for his mood later.

Laurel swallowed a bite of pasta. “Ollie, have you thought about trying to take over QI again?”

Felicity stopped talking to Sara, holding her breath, and glanced in his direction. No one dared to ask Oliver that question yet – Queen Incorporated was an understandably sore spot for him. If Felicity had lost the company to her father’s ex-mistress too, then she would be equally pissed and embarrassed to confront the horde of issues that awaited her there.

He cleared his throat, his shoulders noticeably tense. “I’ve discussed it with Walter, but I think I’m going to pass,” he stated emotionlessly. “Thea has no interest in the company either.”

Felicity’s eyebrows crinkled together as she looked around the room to gauge everyone’s reactions.

“Really?” Laurel asked, clearly feeling as surprised as everyone else. “It’s your family business – I can’t imagine you letting that go.”

“I wasn’t a good CEO – I wouldn’t be good for the company or the people it employs. I’ll make a bigger difference if I focused solely on being the arrow.”

“Oliver,” Felicity muttered, “It’s your decision, of course, but don’t you think you should give it more time before you make such a huge change. I mean, you’ll lose all your money _for good._ Do you want to sleep on a bed in the foundry forever?”

“Felicity,” John warned gently.

“It’s okay,” Oliver replied. “I’m actually going to move in with Thea – she bought an apartment. She showed me the place tonight. Hence, why I was late.”

“Wow,” Sara whispered as everyone else tried to hide their surprise.

“Living with Thea sounds good,” Laurel added supportively. “I’m sure you two need some time.”

“She’s also going to open Verdant again,” Oliver said.

“So, we’ll have our alibies back?” Felicity asked, her mind churning.

Oliver’s lips turned up slightly as he glanced at Felicity. “Yes. She already has backers.”

“That’s great,” Laurel and Sara said in unison.

Felicity took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second. “Speaking of Walter,” she muttered loudly, getting everyone’s attention. “I should probably tell you I have a lunch meeting with him on Monday about a job at QI.”

Oliver smiled warmly at her. “I’m sure you’ll get the job.”

Sara put her fork down and frowned. “That’s good news, so why are you worried?”

“Why do I have a meeting with Walter? He isn’t working at QI… He couldn’t know our secret, could he?” she asked hesitantly.

“Well,” Oliver added slowly.

“What?”

Everyone at the table sat back and watched on as Oliver and Felicity talked. They clearly didn’t want to get involved.

“He doesn’t know our secret… But when I told him I didn’t want to take the company back Walter wasn’t exactly pleased. He’s decided to run for CEO. He didn’t like the idea of my parent’s company going under or being bought out,” Oliver explained.

“Oh,” Felicity mumbled.

“I imagine, he’s going to tell you that on Monday – and offer you a job working for the company once he takes over.”

Felicity sighed. “Okay, that’s good. That I can handle.”

They looked into each other’s eyes and he lightly touched her arm, an intimate sign of support. “You’ll do great,” he said with warmth.

John and Roy shared a knowing look while Sara smirked at the two sitting across from her. Laurel and Lyla both decided to pretend they didn’t notice the moment, but Lyla was the only one succeeding.

Roy cleared his throat. “Laurel, have you heard anything from your father about the girls?”

Laurel choked on her glass of water in response. Felicity whipped her head away from Oliver’s gaze, her blush deepening as she focused on Laurel and Roy – Anywhere but Oliver’s dimples.

“Yes. All the girls are home safe now. It took a couple of days to track down a few of their parents. Not all of them live in the city – Dad thinks the Triad must be transporting women and girls out of Starling somewhere. Most likely by boat.”

Felicity grabbed her phone and opened up a note. “Where were the other girls from?”

“They’re all from poor families, mostly minorities. The majority live in Starling, but some came from surrounding cities and towns. The farthest away one girl lives in Central City. I can send you the details later,” Laurel said.

“That’d be good. Thanks.”

“What about Na Wei,” Oliver said. “Have you learned anything else?”

“Who?” Sara interjected.

“China White – The U.S. Triad head. Her real name’s Chien Na Wei,” Oliver replied without a beat, already focused wholly on Laurel.

“Oh,” she mumbled before swallowing hard and averting her gaze.

Laurel sighed. “The girls said nothing – most were still in shock; they’re going to need massive amounts of therapy. Anyway, the men you caught said even less before China got to them in jail.”

“When?” Oliver demanded.

“I got the call a couple of hours ago. At least three are dead. Six more are in the hospital, but it sounds like most of them won’t make it.”

“What happened?” Felicity inquired.

Laurel shook her head in frustration. “I’m not sure. We assume there’s a triad mole in the department, so only a few of dad’s most trusted friends know where they are being held now. There’s a detail on their hospital rooms. That’s all I know.” Before Oliver could say more, Laurel replied. “Don’t worry – the one’s that do survive the attack will be put away for life. We have plenty of evidence. I imagine that’s why China tried the sloppy move. She must be scared that we can make her men talk.”

“I should patrol,” Oliver muttered under his breath.

“Ollie,” Laurel said. “I told them to alert me of any other news. At least finish dinner.”

“I’ll get an alert if gunfire occurs at any local hospitals,” Felicity added.

Oliver looked between the two women and John and nodded in agreement. He didn’t appear to be happy, but he stayed.

Lyla whispered something into Johns ear and kissed his shoulder before going back to her food.

Felicity smiled at the couple and said, before thinking, “When are you two going to get married? You’re perfect for each other.” She froze immediately when she realized what she had said, but knew she couldn’t take it back – the statement hung in the air as the room went silent.

Dig chuckled awkwardly and Lyla smiled nervously.

“I’m sorry guys – that’s your business,” Felicity started mumbling quickly.

John smirked at Felicity as she blushed. “It’s fine, Felicity. We haven’t talked about it much.”

Lyla absentmindedly stroked her round stomach and shrugged. “I’m sure it will happen eventually though,” she said.

John turned to glance at her in surprise. “What?” he asked, startled.

“Johnny, I’m in no rush. _You know that_.”

“Lyla, I thought you didn’t want to get married again,” he whispered.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Wow, I really stepped in something,” Felicity muttered to herself quietly, which only Oliver and Laurel could hear. “That only happens about once every ten minutes,” she added dryly.

“Nyssa,” Laurel said, trying to divert everyone’s attention away from the couple. “Do people in the league get married or is that not allowed?”

Nyssa placed her glass of red wine on the table and stared at Laurel, her dark almond eyes both deathly serious and wistful. “The demon does not allow such personal attachments to most of his men. He believes it to be a weakness… There are some exceptions; however rare it is.”

Laurel frowned slightly and glanced between Sara and Nyssa. “I’m guessing relationships aren’t allowed either then,” she said.

Nyssa straightened her back, her jaw clenched. She replied, “Relationships are not encouraged, but not forbidden. Most league members have affairs and nothing else... There are very few children residing in my home – that is how it’s always been.”

“Wait, so did you grow up around kids?” Felicity asked.

“I knew less than ten children… Two of them were my siblings.”

Laurel perked up. “You have siblings?”

Nyssa nodded. “Half-siblings, but yes. An older sister and younger brother. My brother died as a toddler and I do not speak to my sister.”

Laurel reached over to grasp her hand lightly. “I’m sorry. That must be tough.”

“I learned long ago to rely on no one,” she stated coldly.

Sara sighed and rolled her eyes at her girlfriend’s behavior. “Honey, I know you’re a softie and all, but Laurel is just being nice.”

“I’m sorry if I was rude,” Nyssa apologized. “I’m not… the greatest at discussing my emotions.”

Laurel shrugged and smiled. “No need. I’m used to dealing with emotionally constipated individuals.”

Roy choked on his beer, coughing loudly in response to Laurel’s statement. Oliver glared at him and Felicity took said time to desperately hide her smile from him, but she wasn't the best at subtlety. 


	18. Coming Out of The Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter covering the perspectives of Thea and Laurel.

**July 27 th 2014 2 AM**

She sauntered up the stairs to her new bedroom, heels in hand. For the first time since Robert died, and her brother disappeared, she felt content. Even happy. She was back in Starling about to open up the club again. She had her brother back who’s an actual superhero. She had a relationship with her biological father and she was happily in love with Roy. The fog that had flooded her senses since her mother’s murder was finally lifting.

Reaching for her doorknob she heard an odd noise coming from Ollie’s room and knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. She knew Oliver went out tonight.  He _was_ particularly vague about his plans, but she had assumed it was Arrow business. She grimaced at the thought of him bringing a girl home or the unacceptable visual of her brother spankin’ it himself. Either option made her cringe, so she bolted to her room and closed the door, pretending it never happened. In this situation, the less questions the better.

She placed her shoes on the hardwood flooring and slipped out of her skirt and top, switching them out for some of Roy’s old sweatpants and a tank top. Thea went about her nightly routine, forgetting about what had just transpired, and was about to take off her makeup when a loud bang rang throughout the apartment. She threw her makeup remover on the sink and froze in step, listening intently, her honed instincts kicking in.

Out of nowhere, she heard a blood curling scream. Instantly, sensing something was wrong, she sprinted for her brother’s room. The screaming intensified. Hesitating momentarily, she opened the door and ran in.

She put her hands up. Readying herself for a fight. However, the scene before her was nothing she expected. Silence enveloped the darkened room. Oliver was tangled in his sheets, sound asleep on the mattress. They were alone.

“What the fuck,” Thea muttered under her breath.

She took another glance around the bedroom and noticed a standing lamp lying on the ground. She tiptoed over and spotted a shard of glass – a part of a lightbulb. When inspecting it closely she noticed a few drops of blood on it.

“No… No, don’t,” Oliver winced. “Don’t kill them all! Not Felicity… please, not her too. I can’t -.”

Thea froze in terror, a sense of horror washing over her. _He’s having a nightmare_ , she thought to herself. _Of Slade?_ Her eyes went wide and a wave of nausea came over her.

She steadied herself and walked over to his bed. “Ollie, wake up,” she whispered hesitantly. She wasn’t sure what to do, but she couldn’t leave now. “It’s okay. Wake up, Ollie.”

He sat up in a flurry of confusion. Seconds later he reached for her throat. Sensing the danger Thea yelled, “Ollie, no!” and pushed his hand away, stepping backward in one swift motion. Thea easily blocked the attack.

Oliver stopped moving, his chest rising and falling, his eyes roaming wildly. His chest and face were covered in sweat. He pulled his hands away and deliberately placed them on the comforter.

“What happened,” he demanded in between breathes. “Are you hurt?”

Thea turned on another light and waited for him to fully regain consciousness. “ _I’m_ fine. Not so sure about you though,” she said. “You were screaming in your sleep and you knocked over a standing lamp. _My_ lamp, by the way.”

He blinked rapidly, adjusting to the light. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

Thea raised her eyebrows at her big brother, who appeared so small to her at this moment it scared her. “Ollie, no. I’m good. You didn’t even touch me,” she reminded him gently.

He sighed in relief, relaxing slightly as he ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. “Okay” was all he mumbled in reply.

_He wasn’t kidding when he said he needed me_ , she realized. As the thought sunk in she noticed his hand.

“I’ll be right back!” she yelled before quickly leaving the room and grabbing a first aid kit. When she made it back to his room Oliver was sitting up calmly; he finally appeared to be alert.

“Thea, what are you doing?” he grumbled.

Okay, so maybe he wasn’t completely alert.

“Just sit still and give me your left hand,” she ordered.

She sat down on the foot of the bed and got a bandage out of the kit. He silently put his hand on her leg. “Somehow, you must have cut your hand on the lamp – it doesn’t look bad though,” she added hesitantly.

After a few minutes of silence, he said, “I don’t remember, but I've dealt with worse."

She nodded  in reply and frowned. Staring at her brothers hand, she said, "From the looks of your chest, I would agree. Did all of that happen on the island?"

She knew her brother returned damaged, but she never knew how much. She certainly didn’t realize he was still having such severe nightmares; at least not after his first night home when he tried to strangle their mom in his sleep. Slade must have triggered his PTSD again.

"No," he answered. 

"That's all your going to say about them, isn't it?" she added unimpressed.

"For now," he muttered.

“Okay. All done,” she said as she finished bandaging him up. “I didn’t hear you get in tonight – I was up doing work.” She knew her brother wouldn’t want to talk about the dream and she refused to leave.

“Thank you,” he muttered. “I didn’t get in until one. I was patrolling the hospital for Triad… What time is it?”

“A little after two.”

He grunted in acknowledgement.

“I was thinking about making some popcorn and watching something on Netflix in my room. You wanna join?”

“Thea, I -.”

“I know you’re going to say it’s late, but you’re clearly not sleeping well and I’d prefer you not break _every_ light I own before you get your own furniture,” she deadpanned. “I’ll even add peanuts and M &M’s to the popcorn.”

He grinned at her and eventually nodded. “I’m just going to shower first,” he relented.

She smiled at him and stood up. “Good because I can’t have your sweaty ass ruining my sheets,” she teased lightly.

 

 ***

 

Her heels clicked against the ceramic floor, echoing throughout the spacious and sterol hallway. She readjusted her leather jacket and put her phone in her pocket before reaching her destination. She stopped in front of the guard, who happened to be a personal friend of her father’s. “Hi, Derek. How are you?” Laurel asked politely.

He smiled at her, his greying whiskers making him look twenty years older than she remembered. “Good morning Laurel,” he said. “I’m good. Your dad called you,” he stated knowingly.

“I wouldn’t be here at five in the morning otherwise,” Laurel replied. She held out the tray with two coffees in it. “Want one?”

“Bless you,” Derek mumbled before taking the cup of coffee from her.

“District attorney business never ends.”

The cop chuckled and stepped aside, permitting her entrance into the hospital room.

She walked up to the man handcuffed to a hospital bed whose eyes were closed, clearly fawning sleep.

“Good morning, Mr. Zhang. I’m Laurel Lance, ADA.” She put her coffee down on the table next to him and sat down on the uncomfortable chair close by. Crossing her legs, she clasped her hands and waited for the man to reply.

He grimaced and turned to look at her. His eyes were indifferent, masking his fear, she realized.

“I know who you are,” he grunted.

She hummed in acknowledgement, nodding calmly. “I hoped you’d remember, but I wasn’t sure considering your nasty concussion,” Laurel said. “After all, the doctors weren’t even sure you’d wake up.”

“Lucky me.”

“I warned you that the Triad would come after you the first shot they had,” she said.

“I’m dead no matter what you say bitch.”

Laurel silently raised her eyebrows and gritted her teeth in reply. She took a deep breath and stood up. Glaring at him she said, “That’s not very _polite_ considering I’m the one person in the world who could help you.”

“You’re delusional,” he hissed.

She smirked at him and continued. "Whether you want my help or not, I can give you amnesty. I know you’re not an America citizen, but if you help us – and I’m sure you have valuable intel – then I can keep you in the U.S. _and_ put you in witness protection. You know, somewhere you’ll be safe from the Chinese Triad."

He looked her up and down, evaluating whether or not she was telling the truth. “How do you know I have information,” Lee asked hesitantly.

“Because I studied the details of the shooting… You were one of the main targets. The others got in the way – _they_ were low level Triad, not worth the risk – but _you,_ I have no record of. Before the shooting we assumed you were as well, but you’ve kept a low profile here. Too low. Plus, China wouldn’t risk a hit on police soil unless it was important. She’s too smart... Thanks to my friends, I found a _very_ thick file on you in China and Indonesia… Trafficking and heroin. A nasty business,” Laurel said confidently.

She had his attention.

“I need it in writing first.”

Laurel tilted her head at him and picked up her coffee casually. “See, a bitch _can_ help you,” she said, taking a sip of the warm liquid, grinning at him warmly.

He groaned in pain and grasped his stomach, the location of his stab wound, in reflex.

“I’ll get the paperwork going after you give me a few details.”

“Fine,” he relented. “I worked directly under China White. She runs the Pacific rim – both heroin and human trafficking, mostly girls.”

Laurel nodded, trying to hide her excitement. “And,” she said defiantly.

“Most times, I traveled with the girls. I know the route,” he admitted, dripping with disdain.

“Good. What else?”

He sighed in frustration. “I know the names of China’s top men. But, I won’t tell you until I have the paperwork in my hand.”

“Okay… I’ll get started then and be back later today. I’ll make sure the nurse gives you more morphine,” Laurel said smiling. “I imagine that wound is pretty painful.”

She picked up her coffee and walked out of the room feeling lighter than she had in weeks. Finally, they had a real lead.

“You’ll be here later, Derek?” she asked happily as she walked away from the room.

“Yes, my shift just started.”

“How ‘bout I bring Big Belly Burger with me,” Laurel yelled as she walked down the hallway.

“That would be great, Miss Lance!” Derek replied.

“Call me Laurel. You’ve known me since I was in diapers," she hummed happily.

She heard him chuckle as she walked into the elevator, smiling to herself. As the doors closed she dialed Oliver’s number, but reached his voicemail.

“I’ve got a lead. Call me back,” she muttered into the phone before hanging up. She heard the familiar ding of the elevator when it reached the ground floor, the doors opening to the main entrance. She walked out of the hospital happily, her phone in hand, as she went over the details of the case. When she reached her car, she began dialing her father, knowing that he would want the immediate heads up.

Out of the shadows a figure walked up behind her and grabbed her mouth, silencing her scream. She panicked, struggling to break free of his grip. Laurel kicked and bit his hand, but nothing worked. All she could think of in the moment was that the mystery man’s hand smelled of cheap aftershave. She was in shock.

Seconds later, a black van screeched to a halt next to them. Her stomach dropped. She continued to scream, muffled as it was, and fought back with renewed strength, knowing the second she left the scene her chances of getting out alive reduced considerably. She tried to resist getting in the van but another man jumped out and assisted him, punching her in the stomach multiple times until the wind was knocked out of her. She gasped, her lungs suddenly struggling for breath as the two men dragged her in the van and pulled the door closed, shrouding them in darkness. As the motor revved to life again she heard the familiar click of safeties being turned off and risked looking around. At least three men were holding guns to her head; she couldn’t fight them all off. Waiting was her only choice.

“What do you want with me,” Laurel whispered, shaking from fear or adrenaline, she wasn’t sure. She was breathing heavily, the sound of her heart pounding in her ears.

The men went silent.

After trying to get them to speak for a while, she gave up. They evidently weren’t in charge, but she could guess what this was about. Though she hoped her gut was wrong. Eventually, the van came to a stop. The door slid open and they forced her out. Her hands were tied behind her back. She wanted to fight but she knew there was no hope of escaping now – at least not without some help – so she did as she was told. She clenched her jaw shut when one man kicked her to her knees and the feeling of cold concrete pierced her jeans. She looked around the empty and stark building, most likely a warehouse, hoping she’d see a familiar green hood in the shadows. None was visible.

“Hello, Ms. Lance. I’ve been waiting for you,” said a woman with a silky voice.

Laurel swiftly turned her head toward the noise. At the sight in front of her, nausea began to creep up her chest.

The woman Laurel was looking at smiled widely. “I believe we’ve never been introduced... I'm China White.”


	19. Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update the story! I have a bunch of pieces of later chapters written, so hopefully I can get back on track and start posting weekly again soon.

**July 27 th 2014**

 

Felicity sighed, locked the door to her car and walked into Verdant. She yawned, blinking rapidly to adjust to the low light of the bar, and internally groaned at the sight before her. Thea was standing at the dusty bar staring at her phone intently. Felicity had on a pair of black and white splatter leggings, which was fine. However, she instantly regretted wearing a black t-shirt that said _Body Type: Works Out, But Definitely Says Yes To Tacos._ Felicity walked slowly toward the young and incredibly slender woman, trying to decide whether or not she could avoid a discussion with her all together. She didn’t have much time to think of an excuse though.

Thea turned around and smiled at her. “Hi, Felicity,” she said warmly.

Felicity crossed her arms uncomfortably and smiled back. “Hi. I’m guessing Oliver is downstairs,” she asked.

Thea put down her phone. “Actually, he’s out picking up some paint samples for the club – he wanted to help me.” When Felicity’s face fell ever so slightly she quickly added, “He’ll be here in no time. I promise. He said he had a standing training appointment with you to be here for.”

“Yea,” Felicity mumbled, “hence, my makeup-less-ness and messy appearance.”

“It _is_ early – you two seriously work out every morning at six?”

“Most mornings, yes. _He_ could train me at any time, but I have a job and we work together at night. Early mornings are best for me. Even if it is a crappy low paying and mind-numbing job, it’s a job. Gotta pay the rent, ya know?” she grumbled, fighting off a yawn.

“Hmm. So, I’ve recently learned.”

Felicity eyed her. Sizing her up. “Are you going to be okay with us running operations out of the basement?” she asked hesitantly.

Thea chuckled and sat down on one of the stools, motioning for Felicity to join her. She took the invitation and sat down before Thea continued. “I’m glad Ollie and Roy have finally been honest with me… And I have no intention of getting in the way of Arrow business.” Thea shrugged. “Plus, it’s a good cover for my brother. I can be his alibi.”

Felicity nodded in approval. “Okay, good. I just – I had to ask,” she said protectively.

“Felicity – I…” Thea started.

She scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion at the girl’s sudden odd behavior. “Ask away,” Felicity replied with ease, sensing something was off.

Thea laughed nervously. “You had me pegged in two seconds, huh?”

 “I’m good at puzzles.”

“Good to know.  I actually came here this morning hoping to run into you. Oliver doesn’t know I’m here,” Thea stated hesitantly, biting the inside of her lip nervously.

Felicity opened her arms dramatically. “I’m here. What can I do for you?”

“I don’t know what your relationship is with my brother – I know your friends – but it _seems_ like you two are pretty close.”

Felicity tilted her head at Thea, trying to figure out where the woman was going with this. “We’re _good_ friends. I have a feeling that’s not the question though,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

“It’s not. Umm, last night I heard Ollie having a violent nightmare… Before I woke him up he broke a lamp. He refused to talk about it, but I’m sure he was dreaming about Slade… I’m worried about him.”

Felicity’s mouth went dry and her stomach twisted in knots. Her mind wandered to the night she kissed him on the cot in the foundry and a flood of emotions overwhelmed her. She pushed them aside, bottling them up.

“Did he hurt himself or you?” Felicity interrupted. She didn’t care to hide the panic in her voice – she doubted she could, even if she wanted to.

Thea glared at her, inspecting her every move. “He has a small cut on his hand somehow – even he doesn’t know – but he’s fine. So am I.”

She let out a deep breath and nodded in acceptance. “Did he say anything in his sleep?” she asked, dread filling her.

Thea smirked knowingly. “I didn’t hear much. He mumbles in his sleep, but I know he said your name.”

They locked eyes for a moment. Felicity’s face felt red hot, but she refused to be the first one to look away. “What do you want, Thea?” she whispered feeling defeated.

“Ollie isn’t okay. His PTSD is obviously popping up again and I was hoping you could help.”

“What do you mean by _again_?” Felicity inquired.

Thea pushed her hair behind her ears before staring at Felicity seriously. “The first night he got home, after being away for five years, he had a _bad_ nightmare. He was screaming. A lot. So, of course mom sprinted into his room to comfort him. He almost _strangled_ her. Thankfully he stopped himself... I wasn’t there. Though, it sounded a lot like what I saw last night. Have you seen anything similar? Do you know if he’s sleeping or eating? Those are other common symptoms… I think what happened with Slade triggered something,” Thea explained.

“Hold on,” Felicity said trying to digest everything she just learned. Thea was speaking as quickly as Felicity does when she’s nervous. She finally understood why so many people end up dazed and glazed over around her. “I didn’t know him before the island, so I’m not sure about any difference of behavior... Ever since I’ve met Oliver, he’s never slept much. Certainly, never for long periods of time – maybe three, four hour increments and while he’ll usually eat dinner, he rarely eats much the rest of the day. I never thought much of it though. That is until now.”

Felicity took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes with her palms. Her head was spinning with the new information. She certainly would’ve had coffee this morning had she’d known she needed to be alert enough to speak coherently. The fact that she could rattle off such observations about Oliver so easily shocked her slightly, but she was too tired and under-caffeinated to think on it further. “Did he also react violently to you when you woke him up?” she asked, trying to divert the conversation to anyone other than herself.

“Yeah. He tried to strangle me too, but I side stepped him.” Felicity’s eyes widened in shock. “ _What?_ Have you seen him have a nightmare too?” Thea asked, suddenly _very_ interested in Felicity’s relationship with Oliver.

Felicity stumbled over her words. “I – well, we. We work late into the night and sometimes I stay late-late, like four in the morning late. There isn’t always an immediate job, so depending on the hour Oliver might take a nap.”

Thea smirked. “Felicity, it’s just a yes or no question. I’m not giving you the third degree. I won’t ask if you were in bed with him,” Thea teased.  

She bit her bottom lip to keep herself from rambling and let out a deep breath, avoiding eye contact with Oliver’s little sister. “Then, yes,” she muttered, her face flushing. “I heard him in his sleep once. I woke him up... He wasn’t violent though,” Felicity muttered.  

“How was he then?” Thea questioned.

The question made her want to curl up in a ball from embarrassment. Before Felicity could respond, the door opened and Oliver walked in holding a cardboard box filled with paint samples. She silently thanked god for his impeccable timing and stood up attempting desperately to gain distance from Thea. From the look on Thea’s face Felicity guessed she knew too much.

“Morning, Oliver,” Felicity beamed, putting on her glasses again.

“Morning,” he said, shoving the box of paint on the bar. “Hi, Thea. I’m surprised to see you so early.”

Thea shrugged innocently. “I’m an early riser now. Clearly, we both grew up.”

 “You had a lotta samples on hold,” he said glancing at the paint.

Thea looked between the two standing in front of her and grinned. “I’m indecisive. What can I say? There are lots of shades of green to choose from,” she replied happily. “Don’t let me keep you from your workout,” she added, patting her brother on the shoulder.

Oliver looked confused, but shook it off. “If you need anything, just knock,” he said before waving for Felicity to follow him.

Felicity nodded but waited until he was far enough away before walking over to Thea. “I’ll talk to him,” Felicity said.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, no problem. Thank you for warning me…”

“Fel-ic-ity, are you coming!” Oliver yelled from the hallway.

She rolled her eyes at his impatience. “Your brother is a warden, in case you didn’t know,” Felicity grumbled. “ _He’s_ the one who’s late. Yet he’s annoyed with me.”

“Better than party boy, Ollie,” Thea deadpanned with raised eyebrows.

“Right now, the party boy sounds good,” she whined.

“I don’t think you really mean that.”

Felicity laughed dryly. “That’s true,” she admitted. “I would never have given _that_ man the time of day.”

“I’m sure,” Thea said coyly, smirking at the blonde woman in front of her.

Felicity smiled at the brunette before walking down the hallway, opening the door, and into the foundry.

An hour later, Felicity and Oliver were standing on the mats alone. She took a sip of water and batted away the sweat from her brow.

“Can we take a short break?” she asked, panting heavily.

Oliver wasn’t kidding her this morning when he said he was going to stop holding back. Well, at least as much as he was capable; she knew he would never train her as hard as Roy.

Oliver put down his bo and nodded. “Sure. Fifteen. Then, weights.”

“Great,” Felicity mouthed as she pulled up her shirt slightly inspecting the bruise.

He strode over to her in a few steps. “Is it bad?” he whispered.

“No,” she replied. “It’ll be black and blue, but it barely hurts.” She pulled her shirt down and playfully slapped his arm. “You _really_ weren’t playin’ this morning,” she teased, grinning madly. It still surprises her how much fun sparring with Oliver can be.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I mean, you’re not going in the field.”

Felicity rolled her eyes and took another sip of water, the cold liquid soothing her throat. “Please, don’t get all condescending. I wanted to train – you’re purely doing what I asked. Plus, I’m in the best shape of my life now. I actually have _abs_. _Never_ apologize for that.”

His mouth turned up into a small smile, the one he only shared with her, and his eyes softened.

She lifted her shirt, showing him her stomach without thinking. “ _See,_ there’s actually some indents. Nothing like Sara’s stomach, but it’s still impressive, right?” she mumbled, looking down at her flesh.

“Don’t compare yourself to anyone. You’re beautiful, Felicity,” he whispered.

She whipped her head up to look at him. The warmth and gentleness in his eyes caught her off guard. Her hands fell to her sides in shock and swallowed, the distance between their sweaty bodies noticeably absent. The proximity was setting her skin on fire, but she pushed her feelings down – she was getting quite great at that – and took a step back, breaking eye contact with him.

“Also, Sara’s a beast – No one trains you like the league,” Oliver added, trying to change the conversation.

“Yes, well. That’s true. Any who, I um, I need to talk to you about something,” she said.

He cleared his throat, straightened his spine. The facade that normally clouded his expressions reappeared. “Really. What?”

She groaned loudly and put down her water bottle. She didn’t want to do this right now and his reaction didn’t help. However, she couldn’t get Thea’s words out of her head since their talk.

“How have you been sleeping lately?” she inquired.

He looked completely taken aback, which didn’t surprise her. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re getting all uptight and cagey. I’m guessing it’s not about us – or you know, the not us, _us_ and _that_ night – My god, I need to learn how to shut up,” she muttered, frowning at herself.

“I’m fine, Felicity.”

“Oli-v-er, even for you, you’re not acting fine. Also, fine generally doesn’t mean okay. It means, ‘get off my back’ or ‘I don’t wanna talk about it’. You look tired – beyond tired actually,” Felicity said.

“I, I’m not sleeping well. It’ll pass. It always does,” he admitted.

“What happened to your hand?” she demanded, her lips pursed, her eyes unflinching.

He looked down at the white cloth covering his right hand and frowned. “It’s nothing,” he lied easily.

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. “You should know by now that I can tell when you’re lying,” she stated coolly. She glared at him. “You’re still having nightmares, aren’t you?” she asked calmly, her voice silky smooth.

They looked into each other’s eyes, a silent understanding passed between them. She wasn’t going to back down; not about this.

“Yes. I’ve gotten them for years off and on. Sometimes for weeks at a time I can barely sleep.”

“So that night _wasn’t_ rare,” Felicity added questioningly. She wanted to reach out for his hand, but she knew that crossed a line, so she kept them resting in her lap.

“I, no,” he started. He cleared his throat and looked away momentarily, his jaw unnaturally tight.

“Do you have PTSD?” Felicity asked bluntly. She knew this method might make him back away and avoid her, but she wasn’t leaving. He needed to talk to someone. She refused to let him confide in no one.

He looked like he was about to speak, but he stopped himself.

“Have you ever talked to someone?” she whispered softly, hoping the man wouldn’t shut her out.

“ _What would I say?_ ” he said exasperated. “Someone tried to kill me and was living on an island for years. I was tortured, kidnapped and taught to hurt people while everyone thought I was dead. I came home, but can’t let my ghosts go, so I suit up in a green hood and fight crime at night... _Felicity,_ I can’t talk to anyone, even if I _wanted_ to.”

“You should talk to Dig,” she reassured him softly. “He might have a name of someone – you wouldn’t have to give specifics. Just enough for someone to give you coping methods or something,” she explained shyly.

“Felicity, I’ll be fine. It’s just going to take time.”

A loud ringing sounded in the foundry, breaking off her train of thought. Felicity jogged over to her handbag, but before she answered the phone she pointed at Oliver. “This conversation is _not_ over.”

Oliver grimaced, which Felicity took as a good thing: acceptance.

She picked up the call. “Hello," she hummed.

“Felicity, hi. It’s Lance.”

“Yep, I have your number. What’s up?” she asked.

“Sara just called me panicked. Telling me to get out of town. Have you heard anything from your green friend?”

Felicity glanced at Oliver, feeling a mixture of confusion and a hint of dread. “Sara hasn’t called me and I’m with him now. Quinton, she didn’t say _anything_ else?”

“Just that it’s dangerous for me to be in town. Laurel’s not answering her phone so I’m heading to her place now,” Quinton said.

Oliver walked over to her concerned.

“Okay. The Arrow will meet you at Laurel’s ASAP. Stay safe,” Felicity said before hanging up.

“What happened?” Oliver demanded.

“Sara warned Lance that he could be in danger and to get out of town but wouldn’t say why. He’s heading to Laurel’s now.”

Oliver nodded. “Call Roy,” he said. “I’ll call John on the way. Find -.”

“And find Sara – yeah, I know. Go, change,” Felicity stated as she sat down at her computer and started getting to work.

Oliver groaned. “Daylight – I won’t be able to hide my face.”

Felicity shrugged. “Well, I guess it’s time to tell Captain Lance the truth.”

Seconds later, Oliver walked out of the foundry.

“That’s gonna be an interesting conversation,” Felicity muttered under her breath, feeling grateful for not being there during the awkward moment that Lance learns he’s been right this whole time.

She quickly shot off a text for Roy to meet Oliver at Laurels and called Sara, who unsurprisingly didn’t answer. She tried tracking the number, but it was a burner designed to be untraceable, so that quickly went nowhere.

Second, she traced Laurel’s phone. Minutes later, the computer beeped. Laurel’s SIM card’s location was found.

“That’s not good,” she whispered into the empty foundry as she stared at the results.

***

Ten minutes after he left Verdant, Oliver drove his motorcycle into a parking space outside of Laurel’s apartment and turned it off. He glanced around and saw Captain Lance’s car. John would be here soon, but he couldn’t wait. He made his way into the apartment building, taking the stairs two at a time. Once he reached Laurel’s hallway he slowed down, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Very wrong.

When he reached the door and was about to knock he noticed it was ajar. Adrenaline suddenly pumping through his veins, he swiftly grasped the door knob and opened it. He carefully and silently made his way through the apartment, hoping against all odds that Laurel and Quentin were safe from harm, hiding somewhere together. The dining room and kitchen were clear. Untouched. He made his way through the living room and found few things out of place.

Abruptly a soft creaking noise came from the next room. He recognized the sound immediately: a window opening. He ran into Laurel’s bedroom and found an unconscious Quentin being carried out of the window by a bulky and massive man, followed by two others. Oliver struggled with the closest man. He blocked most of Oliver’s attacks. Mid blow, out of the corner of his eye, Oliver saw the other two men jump out of the window with Lance in hand. Distracted, Oliver grunted in pain. The man had pulled out a knife and sliced Oliver’s arm currently blocking the man’s attempt to stab him in one fluid motion. Oliver had faster reflexes. He disarmed the man immediately after, saving himself from further stab wounds, and punched the assailant in the face. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. Oliver ran to the window and saw a large black van speed away. The masked men and Lance were gone along with the vehicle. He punched the wall in a haze of anger and strode over to the man, whom now laid on the ground in an unconscious lump.

The mystery man groaned in agony.

“Good. You’re awake,” Oliver hissed angrily, towering over him. Oliver bent down and pulled off the mans mask. He glanced in the same direction as the kidnapper and picked up the small blade a few feet away. “Don’t try anything,” he growled.

“Oliver!” John demanded from the other room.

“In here,” he stated, not taking his eyes off of their only lead.

John entered into the room gun in hand. “I got the license plate – sent the picture to Felicity,” he stated calmly. “What the hell happened?”

“That’s what I was about to ask _him_ ,” he hissed intimidatingly. “Who hired you?” he demanded, loudly – too loud for an apartment building at this hour. The man smiled and spit on Oliver’s shoes, blood and saliva now mingling on his brown boots. He kicked the man in the stomach.  “Don’t make me ask you again,” he growled.

He smiled at Oliver, unnervingly calm. “You can’t touch her.”

“Who?” Diggle demanded, evidently as aggravated as Oliver.

He laughed, making Oliver’s skin crawl. _He’s too confident_ , he thought to himself.

 “Ms. White has unfinished business with the Lance’s,” he hissed.

Oliver’s stomach dropped, anger boiling over. “Where did they take Laurel and her father? Do they want Sara too? Tell me!” Oliver demanded.

“You’ll never find them,” he murmured happily.

Without a second thought, Oliver punched the man in the head knocking him out. “He’ll be fine. Tie him up... Give me your gun, Dig,” he demanded.

“Oliver, what are you going to do,” he asked hesitantly, eyeing the man on the ground.

He took the gun from his friend, his leather gloves still on, and fired it into the air twice before handing it back to John. He bent down and picked up the hot casings and pocketed them. “The police will be here in five minutes. Leave him.”

John nodded and followed Oliver out the window. They quickly left the scene in their vehicles to avoid any questions from police.

Oliver called Felicity immediately. Before he could update her on anything she interrupted him. “I’m running the plate now. If they’re smart they switched it already though.”

“Laurel and Quentin were taken from her apartment, not ten minutes ago.”

“That makes no sense,” Felicity mumbled to herself.

“What are you not telling me?” he inquired as he took a turn onto a back street.

“Oliver, did you see Laurel at her apartment?”

“No.”

“I tracked Laurel’s phone – it’s a block away from Starling Central Hospital.”

“She called me this morning a little after five to tell me she had a lead… I didn’t answer at the time. But the Triad are after her. I’m sure of it. A man I caught said so,” Oliver stated. A chill went down his spine at the thought of Laurel being tortured.

“Frack,” Felicity mumbled.

“Text me the coordinates and call Dig. Tell him to meet me,” he ordered before hanging up and turning around.

A little while later Oliver was standing next to Laurel’s car, holding her phone in his hand tightly, his knuckles turned white.

“Let’s go.”

John followed him on foot. Oliver sped up when he heard sirens in the distance and stopped dead in his tracks once he reached the hospital. Four police cars and a police barrack were located outside the entrance.

“What happened?” Oliver asked the closest cop.

“Hello, Mr. Queen. Three prisoners were killed here an hour ago. One cop is dead.”

“I need to get through,” he demanded.

“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t allow that. Captain’s orders.”

John stepped forward and smiled sweetly. “I understand orders. I’m a military man myself… But my sister is inside,” he said. “You must understand.”

The cop sighed and stepped aside. “Alright, but no going to the sixth floor. It’s closed.”

The two men smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you,” Oliver mused happily. Sometimes cops made their jobs incredibly easy.

Once they were in the elevator and alone Oliver pulled out his phone and checked for a text from Felicity. Nothing.

“Did Laurel give you any details on the lead?” Dig asked as the elevator made it’s way higher and higher.

“No,” he answered shaking his head in frustration. “Nothing. Felicity location pinged the message though. It came from this hospital, so someone must have rolled on White.”

John nodded. “Do you think we’ll need ARGUS help on this?”

“We can handle it for now.”

The elevator doors opened to the sixth floor where a young man in uniform stood guard. “Excuse me. You can’t be here,” said the young nervous cop. He looked like he probably just graduated.

Oliver smiled politely and walked forward innocently. “Hi, we’re here on behalf of Laurel Lance, the A.D.A. and _your_ Captain’s daughter. She’s a close friend of mine… You don’t want her pissed, _believe me_. It’s no fun. We just need a quick look through and then we’ll be gone.”

When the man still looked unsure Oliver shrugged. “You could call them, but they’re in a meeting with the governor about this mess of a case. I imagine they’d be pretty mad being disturbed right now,” Oliver added.

“Okay, fine. You have fifteen minutes and then you have to leave,” the cop relented.

“Of course,” Oliver replied smoothly. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

Oliver and Dig strolled into the wing of the hospital, looking in each room. Most of them were empty, except for a few which had tarps covering hospital beds.

Waiting for the few guards to move out of sight, they walked into a room non-conspicuously. John quickly slipped on some gloves and pulled off the tarp. Oliver moved the sheets so he could look for the signature tattoo. He found it.

“He’s Triad,” he said confidently.

John nodded. “No signs of a struggle. No gun shot wounds. No clear sign of death,” he explained as he quickly examined the body.

“But for a lock down like this to take place, something happened,” Oliver replied easily.

He hummed in agreement. “We need more time,” John concluded.

Oliver agreed, so he pulled out his phone and called Felicity.

“What do you need _now_ , Oliver? I’m working on five different things,” she huffed.

“We’re in the hospital now, but need more time. Too many guards,” he said gently. “Can you set off the fire alarm and pull the footage of us walking around on the sixth floor. We need it to look like we left with everyone else.”

Felicity sighed on the other end. “Your wish is my command, master,” she muttered, tapping away at the keys and made a weird noise that he didn’t recognize. He’d have to ask her about it later.

Oliver’s eyebrows went up in surprise when seconds later the alarm went off, resounding throughout the hospital at a deafening volume. “That was fast,” he said.

“I’ll wipe the footage soon. You’ll have around thirty minutes, maybe more before you need to get out,” she explained.

“Great,” Oliver replied before hanging up. “We have thirty minutes,” he said to John.

After checking the first victim thoroughly they moved to the next two men. Finally, they reached the last body. Once they looked over his file and checked for specific types of wounds, they realized they had nothing concrete and Oliver was beginning to reach his limit. He needed to do something.

“We’ve found nothing, Dig. All of them were most likely killed in the same way. Maybe a toxin screening or an autopsy would give us more, but we don’t have time. Laurel’s in danger!” he growled.

“It’s someone who had access, Oliver. We know that much. One cop was killed, but not more. There must have been at least two cops guarding all of the prisoners. It was someone who could get past cops without much effort,” John replied evenly.

Suddenly, they glanced at each other, a realization hitting them both at the same time. "A dirty cop," Dig whispered grimly.

“Shit," Oliver replied. 


End file.
